At Bidbury Personal, Social, Health and Economic(PSHE) education is a planned, developmental programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives now and in the future. As part of a whole-school approach, PSHE develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society.
Our PSHE curriculum is based on the SCARF programme. It equips pupils to live healthy, safe, productive, capable, responsible and balanced lives. It encourages them to be enterprising and supports them in making effective transitions, positive learning and career choices to achieve economic wellbeing. A critical component of PSHE is providing opportunities for children and young people to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes and explore the complex and sometimes conflicting range of values and attitudes they encounter now and in the future.
PSHE contributes to personal development by helping pupils to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem, and to identify and manage risk, make informed choices and understand what influences their decisions. It enables them to recognise, accept and shape their identities, to understand and accommodate difference and change, to manage emotions and to communicate constructively in a variety of settings. Developing an understanding of themselves, empathy and the ability to work with others will help pupils to form and maintain good relationships, develop the essential skills for future employability and better enjoy and manage their lives.
It is important to allow children the opportunity to discuss experiences and to voice their opinions throughout each PSHE lesson/unit. Giving the children a voice helps to clarify and check their understanding; removing barriers to written work and it allows children of all abilities to contribute fully within the lesson.
Relationships and health education (RHE)
RHE is compulsory in all primary schools in England. At Bidbury Junior School, we will provide age-appropriate relationships and health education (RHE) to all pupils as part of the school’s statutory curriculum.
We understand that pupils must be provided with an education that prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. A key part of this relates to relationships education, which is required to be delivered to every primary-aged pupil. Relationships education focusses on giving pupils the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships, and ensures can talk to a trusted adult if there is anything worrying them. Health education focusses on equipping pupils with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their own health and ensures they receive factual information about the changes they will experience emotionally and physically during puberty.
All pupils must be taught the aspects of sex education outlined in the primary science curriculum – this includes teaching about the main external parts of the human body, how it changes as it grows from birth to old age, including puberty, and the reproductive process in some plants and animals. Primary schools also have the option to decide whether pupils should be taught sex education beyond what is required of the national curriculum. At our school, we do teach pupils sex education beyond what is required of the science curriculum. This is taught through the SCARF Growing and Changing unit of work which covers how babies are conceived and how they are born. Sex education does not go above and beyond the focus of reproduction. This unit covers the DfE statutory RSHE requirements listed within the Changing Adolescent Body topic under statutory Health Education.
We consult with parents/carers annually on whether to include sex education as part of our curriculum. This continues to be agreed by the vast majority of parents and carers. Parents/carers are given the opportunity to discuss this policy at any time and staff are provided with accurate training and further resources to deliver lessons to pupils.
We understand our responsibility to deliver a high-quality, age-appropriate and evidence-based relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) for all our pupils. Our school aims to assure parents/carers and pupils that all aspects of RHE will be delivered in a safe space, allowing time and compassion for questions at a level that every pupil understands. Sensitive topics relating to RHE will be delivered in a sensitive manner as part of a whole-school approach where parents/carers and teachers work in partnership.
The school's Relationships and Health Education Policy sets out the framework for our RSHE curriculum, providing clarity on how it is informed, organised and delivered.
The SCARF Learning Journeys show how the topic Growing and Changing develops from Year 3 to Year 6 in age and developmentally-appropriate ways.
Withdrawing from the subjects
Relationships and health education are statutory at primary and parents/carers do not have the right to withdraw their child from these subjects.
As sex education is not statutory at primary level, other than what must be taught as part of the science curriculum, parents/carers have the right to request to withdraw their child from all or part of the sex education curriculum.
The headteacher will automatically grant a parent’s/carer’s request to withdraw their child from sex education, other than the content that must be taught as part of the science curriculum; however, the headteacher may discuss the request with the parent/carer and, if appropriate, their child, to ensure that their wishes are understood and to clarify the nature and purpose of the curriculum. Where a pupil is withdrawn from sex education, the headteacher will ensure that the pupil receives appropriate alternative education.
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Relationships and Health Education - March 2024.pdf |