At Coleridge Primary School, we believe that PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) and RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) helps to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives, in order to become informed, active and responsible citizens.
Under the new guidance issued by the DfE in September 2020, Relationships Education and Health Education became compulsory at primary school . We believe that, to be effective, RSE should always be taught within a broader PSHE education programme. RSE enhances, and is enhanced by, learning related to other topics, including anti-bullying; keeping safe on and off line; keeping physically and mentally healthy; learning about drugs, alcohol and tobacco; and the development of skills and attributes, such as communication skills, managing peer pressure, risk management, resilience and decision making.
PSHE
Our PHSE curriculum is based on the Kapow Scheme and is categorised into five key areas, which we return to in each year group. Each time a key area is revisited, it is covered with greater depth and increasing maturity. These areas are:
- Family and relationships: The children learn how to: form respectful relationships with others, deal with conflict and bullying, and the importance of challenging stereotypes.
- Health and wellbeing: The children learn strategies for looking after their mental and physical health, including: healthy eating, relaxation techniques, sun safety and the benefits of sleep.
- Safety and the changing body: The children learn: how to administer first aid in a variety of situations and about safety around medicines, online and road safety and the changes which occur during puberty.
- Citizenship: The children learn about: human rights and the rights of the child, democracy, diversity and community and protecting the environment.
- Economic wellbeing: The children learn how to make decisions when it comes to spending, budgeting and saving money and exploring different career choices. This area of the curriculum is taught using the RedStart ‘Changing the Game’ materials.
- We also have an additional key area for Year 6:
Identity: The children discuss what makes us who we are whilst learning about body image.
RSE and DAE
Our RSE and DAE (Drugs and Alcohol) curriculum is taught using resources from The Christopher Winter Project, a scheme that is quality assured by the PSHE association. It encourages children to develop skills of listening and empathy, and to talk about feelings and relationships with families and friends. It includes lessons on keeping clean, families, gender differences, personal space, puberty, relationships, and many other topics.
For more information on what is taught in each year group, please use the links below:
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE):
Drugs and Alcohol Education (DAE):
Right to withdraw
We have committed to a retain parents’ right to withdraw their child from sex education within RSE (other than sex education in the National Curriculum as part of science). There is no right to withdraw from relationships education at primary or secondary as we believe the contents of these subjects – such as family, friendship, safety (including online safety) – are important for all children to be taught.
If a parent wishes their child to be withdrawn from the sex education elements of RSE, they should discuss this with the headteacher, and make it clear which aspects of the programme they do not wish their child to participate in.
Parents should be aware that schools are legally required to provide a broad, balanced curriculum. Sex education topics can arise incidentally and overlap with relationships education lessons and it is not possible to withdraw pupils from these relatively limited and often unplanned discussions.
Requests for withdrawal should be put in writing and addressed to the headteacher. A copy of withdrawal requests will be placed in the pupil’s educational record. The headteacher will discuss the request with parents and take appropriate action.