relationships and sex education

​What do pupils learn?

Our RSE curriculum is carefully sequenced and adapted to the age, developmental stage and individual needs of our students. In keeping with our Stage not Age approach, teaching is differentiated so that learning is meaningful, accessible and appropriate for each young person.

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Topics include:

• families and different family structures;

• friendships and respectful relationships;

• emotions, communication and managing conflict;

• personal boundaries, consent and keeping safe;

• recognising healthy and unhealthy relationships;

• online relationships, digital consent and image sharing;

• puberty, body changes and reproductive health;

• body image and emotional wellbeing;

• identity, diversity and inclusion;

• intimate and sexual relationships, where developmentally and age appropriate;

• contraception, pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections;

• equality and the law; and

• recognising and responding to pressure, exploitation, abuse and harm.

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RSE is taught through Personal Development, PSHE, SMSC, Science and targeted interventions, alongside appropriate pastoral work and enrichment activities.

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Real Love Rocks

As part of our Relationships and Sex Education provision, we use Barnardo’s Real Love Rocks programme.

Real Love Rocks supports children and young people to understand healthy and unhealthy relationships and helps them develop the knowledge and skills they need to keep themselves and others safe.

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The programme provides opportunities to explore issues around relationships, consent, grooming, exploitation, online safety and risk in an age-appropriate way. It helps children and young people think about what a positive relationship looks and feels like, recognise behaviours which may be unsafe or harmful, understand their rights and boundaries, and know where they can go for help.

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We use these resources as part of our wider curriculum rather than in isolation. Teaching is adapted by our staff to reflect the individual needs, understanding and experiences of the pupils we work with.

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A safe and sensitive approach

We recognise that RSE can include sensitive subjects and that our pupils bring different experiences, needs, family circumstances and beliefs to their learning.

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Teaching is therefore age-appropriate, trauma-informed and non-judgemental. Lessons have clear ground rules and pupils are never expected to share personal experiences or information.

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Our staff create opportunities for questions and discussion while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. Where a pupil needs additional support, learning may also take place through carefully planned one-to-one or small-group work.

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RSE is also an important part of safeguarding. Students learn about consent, boundaries, healthy and unhealthy behaviours, how to recognise situations that may be unsafe and, importantly, how and where to ask for help.

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If something a pupil tells us raises a safeguarding concern, staff will always follow our Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures.

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Working with parents and carers

We recognise the important role that parents and carers play in helping children and young people develop their understanding of relationships, health and growing up.

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We want families to understand what we teach and why. Parents and carers are welcome to talk to us about the RSE curriculum and may ask to see the resources and teaching materials we use.

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We also encourage open, age-appropriate conversations at home. Where helpful, we can support parents and carers with understanding the language, themes and approaches being used in school.

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Can I withdraw my child from RSE?

Relationships Education and Health Education are statutory, and parents and carers cannot withdraw their child from these parts of the curriculum.

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Parents and carers may request that their child is withdrawn from elements of Sex Education which are not part of the statutory Science curriculum.

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Any request should be made in writing to the Head of Primary and Secondary. We will arrange a conversation with you to discuss the request, the nature and purpose of the curriculum and any appropriate alternative arrangements.

In accordance with statutory requirements, a young person may choose to receive Sex Education themselves from three school terms before their 16th birthday.

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Our approach will always be to work openly and respectfully with parents and carers and to keep the needs, safety and wellbeing of the young person at the centre of our discussions.

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Find out more

You can read our full Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) Policy below.

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If you would like to know more about our RSE curriculum, the Real Love Rocks programme, the resources we use, or how RSE is adapted for your child, please contact the school.