Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)

Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) at Woodlands Primary School

 

At Woodlands Primary School, we believe that Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is an essential part of preparing children for life, helping them to develop the knowledge, understanding, confidence and values they need to grow into healthy, happy, respectful and responsible individuals.

 

Our approach is rooted in our school values of respect, resilience, empathy, self-awareness, passion for learning, excellence, communication and teamwork. These values underpin our curriculum, our relationships and the inclusive culture we work hard to create across our school community.

 

We recognise that children learn best when they feel safe, valued, understood and included. Through our Personal Development curriculum, we provide carefully planned, age-appropriate learning that helps children understand themselves, build positive relationships, recognise risks, make informed choices and develop the confidence to seek help when they need it.

 

RSHE is not simply a series of lessons. It forms part of our wider commitment to safeguarding, wellbeing, inclusion and personal development, helping children to understand both their rights and their responsibilities towards others.

 

What Is RSHE?

 

Relationships, Sex and Health Education supports children's physical, emotional, social and moral development.

 

At Woodlands, this includes helping children to:

  • Develop healthy, positive and respectful relationships with family members, friends and others.

  • Understand the importance of kindness, empathy, honesty, trust, boundaries and mutual respect.

  • Recognise different family structures and understand that families may look different but should provide love, care and security.

  • Develop confidence, self-awareness, emotional literacy and strategies to support their mental health and wellbeing.

  • Understand how to keep themselves safe, including online, and recognise situations in which they should seek help.

  • Understand personal boundaries, privacy, consent in age-appropriate contexts and the importance of respecting themselves and others.

  • Develop an age-appropriate understanding of physical development, growing up, puberty and the changes associated with adolescence.

  • Appreciate equality, diversity and the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect.

  • Our teaching is progressive and carefully sequenced, building on children's prior knowledge and understanding as they move through school.

 

Our Approach to Teaching RSHE

 

We recognise that children arrive at Woodlands with different experiences, backgrounds, levels of understanding and developmental needs. Our curriculum therefore reflects both the statutory requirements and the needs of our school community. Teaching is delivered sensitively, accurately and without judgement, creating a safe environment in which children can ask questions, express their views appropriately and develop understanding. Staff use professional judgement to ensure that learning is accessible, developmentally appropriate and responsive to the needs of individual pupils. Questions are answered honestly and sensitively, within appropriate safeguarding and curriculum boundaries. Our approach also recognises the important role of parents and carers as children's first educators. We are committed to working in partnership with families, providing clear information about what is taught and when, and ensuring that parents and carers understand the purpose and content of our RSHE curriculum.

 

Inclusion, Diversity and Equality

 

Inclusion is central to everything we do at Woodlands. We are proud of our diverse school community and are committed to ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, ability, additional needs, family circumstances, faith or identity, feels respected, represented and valued. Our RSHE curriculum reflects our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and our wider commitment to developing a centre of excellence for inclusive education.

 

We recognise that children learn and develop in different ways. Teaching is therefore adapted to ensure meaningful participation for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including children accessing our Specialist Inclusion Base. We promote an understanding that difference is a normal and valuable part of society. Through age-appropriate learning, children are encouraged to challenge stereotypes, recognise discrimination, demonstrate empathy and treat others with fairness and respect.

 

We respect the different religious and cultural beliefs held within our school community while ensuring that teaching remains consistent with our statutory responsibilities, safeguarding duties and commitment to equality. Our aim is for every child to feel that they belong at Woodlands and that their voice, wellbeing and experiences matter.

 

Statutory Requirements and Sex Education

 

Relationships Education and Health Education are statutory requirements in primary schools in England. At Woodlands, these subjects are taught through our wider Personal Development curriculum and are supported by learning across other subjects, including science, computing, religious education and physical education.

 

Our curriculum is informed by the Department for Education's statutory guidance on Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education, alongside our safeguarding responsibilities and the National Curriculum. In addition to statutory Relationships and Health Education, we provide age-appropriate sex education in Year 6 to help pupils understand human reproduction and prepare for the transition to secondary school.

 

We distinguish clearly between statutory curriculum content and any additional, non-statutory sex education. Parents and carers do not have the right to withdraw their children from statutory Relationships Education, Health Education or the National Curriculum for science. However, they may request that their child is withdrawn from sex education taught beyond the statutory science curriculum.

 

Further information about the content taught in each year group, including any non-statutory elements, is available in our curriculum overview and RSHE Policy.

 

Safeguarding and Personal Development

 

At Woodlands, we recognise that high-quality RSHE is an important part of safeguarding children. Through carefully planned learning, we help pupils understand healthy and unhealthy relationships, recognise inappropriate behaviour, develop personal boundaries and identify trusted adults who can provide help and support. Children learn that they have a right to feel safe, that their concerns will be taken seriously and that they should speak to a trusted adult whenever something worries them. Our RSHE curriculum also contributes to our wider work on mental health, emotional wellbeing, online safety, anti-bullying, equality and respectful behaviour. By developing children's knowledge, confidence and ability to make informed decisions, we aim to equip them with the foundations they need to navigate an increasingly complex world safely and responsibly.

 

Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers

 

We understand that relationships, growing up and personal development can be sensitive subjects for families.

We are committed to openness, transparency and constructive communication with parents and carers about our RSHE provision. Our aim is to ensure that families understand what their children will learn, why it is important and how they can support conversations at home. We welcome appropriate questions about curriculum content and encourage parents and carers to contact school if they would like further information.

 

Our RSHE Policies and Curriculum Information

 

Further information about our approach, statutory responsibilities, curriculum content and parental rights can be found in the documents below:

Woodlands Primary School RSHE Policy

Parent and Carer Guide to RSHE

Curriculum Overview

 

These documents explain how we deliver a carefully sequenced, inclusive and age-appropriate curriculum that supports children's wellbeing, safety and personal development throughout their time at Woodlands.

 


Our Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) Policy is currently under review by the Governing Body. Once the review has been completed and the policy has been approved, it will be uploaded to the school website as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.