Relationships, Health and Sex Education
Curriculum Leader - Mrs. Watson and Miss. Baylis
Subject Leader - Mrs. Watson
Link Governor - Mrs. Clayton
Today’s children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world and living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way.
The aim of our Relationships and Health curriculum is to give children the tools and the information they need to make positive choices, which support their health, their achievement, their safety and their emotional well-being. We want our children to develop a mutual respect of and understanding for those around them and their differences – encouraging them to appreciate and celebrate diversity both within the school and in the community.
As part of everyday school life at Holmer Lake, we want to allow children to have a voice and see that they can have an impact and make a change – encouraging a sense of self-worth and preparing them to contribute to society. We aim to provide a responsive curriculum which meets the needs of our children. By giving them an open and safe environment where they feel secure enough to express themselves, ask questions and take part in discussion, we promote positive emotional and mental well-being throughout their time at Holmer Lake and beyond.
This curriculum aim is:
- to offer the full requirements of the statutory Relationships and Health Education.
- to provide sex education that meets the needs of our children
To enable our children to:
- know and understand what constitutes a healthy lifestyle
- understand they have a right to feel safe and happy
- respect differences between people and develop good relationships with members of the school and wider community.
- to know who to ask for support if they need it.
- be independent and responsible members of the school community
- be positive and active members of a democratic society
- develop self-confidence and self-esteem and make informed choice regarding personal and social issues
- be prepared for and have an appreciation of life in modern Britain.
At Holmer Lake School we feel it is integral that children are exposed to the Relationships and Health curriculum both in discrete weekly lessons plus also through a much wider curriculum composed of carefully selected workshops, theatre productions, cross-curricular learning, whole school events and assemblies (see Relationship, Health and Sex Education Whole school Overview)
We work closely with the NSPCC and use the following programmes to ensure that our children are fully supported to keep themselves safe.
Click on the image to see about the NSPCC Pants Programme.
Click on the image to see about the NSPCC SPEAK OUT STAY SAFE Programme.
The discrete learning takes place in weekly Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds lessons that cover broad themes drawn from the government’s statutory guidance (Relationships and Health Education).
Example of Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds End Points.
Within these lessons children encounter “golden threads” that are repeatedly revisited over time allowing the children to build a bigger and better understanding of these concepts and how they impact their lives and that those of their family, friends and community.
Reading
Every class has a collection of both fiction and non-fiction books that support the concepts and themes taught in Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds lessons. These books are used within lessons, at story time and children can also choose to read them independently.
Early Years Foundation Stage
The golden threads of the Relationships and Health Curriculum are established in EYFS. Children begin to develop an understanding of respect, friendships, responsibility, staying safe, emotions and health through stories, role play, daily routines and carefully constructed opportunities within their planned provision.
Example End Points for EYFS.
Relationships, Health and Sex Education | Holmer Lake Primary School
Internet Safety
Online Relationships (statutory content of Relationships curriculum) and Internet safety and harms (statutory content of Health curriculum) are taught within each of the half term themes. Internet safety is also embedded within the Computing Curriculum. We refer to the Education for a Connected World Framework for age specific advice about the online knowledge and skills that pupils should have the opportunity to develop at different stages of their lives. Each term follows an overall theme. Themes are revisited in different context and with appropriate progression within the school year to ensure concepts and knowledge are embedded.
The themes are:
Privacy and Security
Online Bullying
Online relationships
Managing Online information
Health Well-Being and Lifestyle.
Self-Image and Identity
See Internet Safety Curriculum Content for more details.
SMSC and British Values.
We aim to develop Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural values through the Relationships and Health curriculum by;
- Supporting children to enjoy learning about themselves and have respect for different faiths, feelings and values
- Developing children’s understanding of right and wrong, understanding their rights, responsibilities and consequences of their actions.
- Providing a model for children to develop social skills such as empathy, co-operation, patience, and effective communication.
- Creating a school community that appreciates cultural differences, participates in cultural opportunities and understands, accepts, respects and celebrates diversity.
Through our Relationships and Health curriculum we aim to develop the children’s understanding of the British Values (democracy, rule of law, tolerance, individual liberty, mutual respect) to allow them to live successfully as an adult in modern Britain – encouraging them to develop a moral compass, giving them the opportunity to recognise the difference between right and wrong and understand the consequences of their actions.
Inclusion
At Holmer Lake Primary School we actively seek to remove the barriers to learning and participation that can hinder or exclude individual or groups of pupils. All children benefit from quality first teaching in the classroom where teachers set high expectations, cater for the needs of individuals, and provide opportunities for all pupils to achieve and progress. Teachers are aware that pupils bring different experiences, interests, and strengths to school which influence the way they learn. Teachers plan and adapt their approaches to teaching and learning so that all pupils can take part in lessons fully and effectively. For example, in Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds lessons, a pupil may benefit from discussions in a small group or scaffolds such as word banks and images to help them communicate their thoughts and feelings.
Curriculum Drivers
The Relationships and Health curriculum is closely aligned with the curriculum driver of Wellness, supporting children’s understanding of how to stay happy, safe and healthy. It also provides opportunities for children to develop their understanding and respect of the diversity of the World in which they live.
Relationships, Health and Sex Education Whole School Overview
Sex Education Curriculum Content
Sex Education Consultation with parents presentation including lesson plan examples
