RSHE

PSHCE/RSHE Curriculum Overview 2023

From September 2020 the Government is introducing compulsory Relationships and Health Education at primary level. This is not new for us in Catholic schools, we have always placed a strong emphasis on the development of the ‘whole person’ through our distinctive education which seeks to form as well as inform young people in preparation for life.

What is Relationships Education?

The Government advises that Relationships Education: will put in place the building blocks needed for positive and safe relationships, including with family, friends and online. By the end of primary school, pupils will have been taught content on:

· Families and people who care for me

· Caring friendships

· Respectful relationships

· Online relationships

· Being safe

What is Health Education?

Health Education is described as giving children the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to recognise issues in themselves and others and to seek support as early as possible when issues arise. By the end of primary school, pupils will be taught content on:

· Mental wellbeing

· Internet safety and harms

· Physical health and fitness

· Healthy eating

· Facts and risks associated with drugs, alcohol and tobacco

· Health and prevention

· Basic first aid

· Changing adolescent body

Protected Characteristics

The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone in Britain is protected. This is because the Equality Act protects people against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have. Under the Equality Act, there are nine Protected Characteristics.

Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Race
Religion or belief
Marriage or civil partnership
Sex
Sexual orientation
Pregnancy and maternity

As a Catholic school we strive to be a haven of respect and custodians of the true dignity of each human being. We encourage, celebrate and value the diversity of all our communities. We actively promote the principle of equality for all. We aim to ensure that everyone within our community is treated fairly, with respect and dignity. We seek to eliminate any form of inequality, bullying or discrimination.

Pope Francis speaks eloquently on the matter of equality: “The Church does not exist to condemn people but to bring about an encounter with the visceral love of God’s mercy. For the Church to offer God’s mercy it must ‘go outside and look for people where they live, where they suffer and where they hope’ The enemy of mercifulness is self-righteousness.”

Ten Ten Life to the Full Plus

Life to the Full is a Relationships and Health Education curriculum programme underpinned by a Christian faith understanding that our deepest identity is as a child of God – created, chosen and loved by God.

It is fully Integrated with the PSHE (England) and Health and Wellbeing (Wales) curriculum to form the Life to the Full Plus programme.

The programme adopts a spiral curriculum taught across 4 learning stages. The learning stages relate to the following year groups:

• Early Years Foundation Stage is aimed at Preschool and Reception
• Key Stage One is aimed at Years 1 and 2
• Lower Key Stage Two is aimed at Years 3 and 4
• Upper Key Stage Two is aimed at Years 5 and 6

Modules
Each learning stage covers the same 3 Modules:

• Created and Loved by God
• Created to Love Others
• Created to Live in Community

Units
Each Module also covers the same Unit topics across each learning stage.

Module 1 Units
Religious Understanding
Me, My Body, My Health
Emotional Well-being
Life Cycles

• Module 2 Units
Religious Understanding
Personal Relationships
Keeping Safe

• Module 3 Units
Religious Understanding
Living in the Wider World

Sessions
The units are further divided into a number of sessions to be led in the classroom through video, song and discussion.

Early Years Foundation Stage

In EYFS children look at our uniqueness in real terms, including celebrating difference and individual gifts, talents and abilities, looking after and using our bodies (including vocabulary around this topic), the necessity of when and how to say sorry in relationships, a basic exploration of Jesus’s forgiveness and growing up as God’s plan for us.

Key Stage One – Years 1 and 2

In Years 1 and 2 the children explore that we are uniquely made by a loving God, that we have differences and similarities (including physical differences between boys and girls)**, key information about staying physically healthy, understanding feelings and emotions, including strong feelings such as anger, and the cycle of life from birth to old age.

Lower Key Stage Two – Year 3 and 4

In Years 3 and 4 children learn to understand differences, respecting our bodies, puberty and changing bodies**, strategies to support emotional wellbeing including practicing thankfulness, and the development of pupils understanding of life before birth.

Upper Key Stage Two – Year 5 and 6

In Years 5 and 6 children learn to appreciate our physical and emotional differences, a more complex understanding of physical changes in girls’ and boys’ bodies, body image, strong emotional feelings, the impact of the internet and social media on emotional well-being, a more nuanced and scientific understanding of life in the womb and how babies are made**, and menstruation

Some modules are Key Decision modules you will have been made aware of through our parent consultation about discussion of genitalia (KS1), puberty (LKS2) and sexual intimacy (UKS2) (sessions marked**). As parents are the first educators of their children you have the right to withdraw your children from these sessions at any time. You will have been contacted regarding this via letter. Please contact the school if you require any further information.

Information For Parents Life To The Full

RSE Primary Leaflet for Parents

Parent Portal

As part of Life to the Full programme our school has set up an Online Parent Portal. This section of the programmes website is available to all parents whose child’s school uses Life to the Full. The Online Parent Portal provides a summary of each lesson, links to specific content and suggestions for further engagement at home. Every school is given a unique username and password which has previously been provided to parents to access the portal at any time. If you require this information again please contact the school office.

Useful Links

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education-faqs

https://rsetraining.catholiceducation.org.uk/

https://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/schools/relationship-sex-education