Planning your Relationships Curriculum

Policy

The DfE has issued statutory guidance on teaching relationships education, this applies to all pupils and all schools (different guidance applies to sex education).

Schools are expected to equip learners with the knowledge they need to recognise and manage relationships when they are problematic in the context of the law and safeguarding.

RSHE in primary schools aims to teach the building blocks of relationships (friendships, families, other children and adults). Secondary teaching builds on this and looks at nurturing and intimate relationships.

All schools are required to have a policy to manage delivery of their relationships education. In secondary schools the relationship and sex education policy will usually be combined.

The DfE also provides guidance on the requirement to engage parents with relationships education.

Schools are required to teach relationships education to comply with the Equality Act (2010), this includes protected characteristics and making RSHE accessible to pupils with SEND.

The primary curriculum is broken down into categories; families and people who care for me; caring friendships, respectful relationships, online relationships and being safe.

The secondary curriculum covers; families; respectful relationships including friendships; online media; being safe; intimate and sexual relationships including sexual health.

There are several organisations supporting delivery of relationships education and the RSHE curriculum with programmes of study (PSHE Association).

The Somerset Wellbeing Framework is an evidenced based tool that can be used by all schools to create the conditions needed to foster positive health and wellbeing in their school community through a whole school approach including the curriculum and a training offer.