Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) & Health Education

What is RSE?

RSE stands for 'Relationships and Sex Education' and is part of the now statutory, 'Relationships and Health Education' that all primary schools must provide. This became statutory from September 2020, following the 'Relationships Education, RSE, and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 which made Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools.  Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools. 

For more information, click here to read DfE guidance on RSE.

Our 'Relationships and Sex Education (SRE) and Health Education Policy' provides a thorough overview of how Applecroft School meets its statutory Relationships and Health Education requirements as well as how we deliver the non-statutory Sex Education. We would strongly advise all parents and carers to read this policy to ensure you are informed about this area of our curriculum. 

Why Were New Requirements Introduced?

The previous curriculum had not been updated for 20 years and so much in society has changed since then. Children need to learn what is relevant to them and the world they are growing up in. 

At Applecroft School, we had recognised that this curriculum was outdated several years ago and introduced a new curriculum in September 2016. Therefore these new requirements were already in place. 

Relationships and Health Education:

Relationships and Health Education comprises of two distinct areas:

• Relationships 
• Physical Health & Mental Wellbeing.

We ensure that our curriculum is both:

• Appropriate for children's ages and development stage and
• Sensitive to the needs and religious backgrounds of our school community.

The Relationships and Health Education curriculum is designed to:

• Help all children grow up healthy, happy and safe
• Give all children the knowledge to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships
• Support all children to manage the challenges and opportunities of modern Britain
• Prepare all children for successful adult lives.

Teaching Relationships in Primary Education:

The relationships part of our RSE curriculum teaches the children what they need to learn to build positive and safe relationships with:

• Family
• Friends 
• Online.

It encourages and supports children to consider:

• What is a relationship?
• What is friendship?
• What is family? 
• Who can children look to for support?

By the time a child finishes primary school, they will have been taught and the following:

• Family and people who care for them
• Caring friendships
• Respectful relationships
• Online relationships
• Being safe.

Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing:

The physical health and mental wellbeing part of our RSE curriculum will teach children how to:

• Make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing
• Recognise issues in themselves
• Recognise issues in others
• Seek support as early as possible when issues arise.

By the time a child finishes primary school, they will have been taught about the following:

• Mental wellbeing
• Internet safety and harms
• Physical health and fitness
• Healthy eating
• Facts about drugs, alcohol and drugs and the risks associated with them
• Health and prevention of illness
• Basic first aid
• Changes to the adolescent body.

Can parents/carers withdraw their children from the RSE Curriculum?

Parents and carers cannot withdraw their child from any part of the Relationships and Health Education aspects of the RSE Curriculum. It is important for ALL children to be taught the content on such essential matters as friendships and keeping safe. 

There are separate rules on Sex Education which is separate from the Relationships and Health Education curriculum. Therefore, parents and carers can withdraw their child from this aspect of the curriculum.

At Applecroft, we strongly believe that knowledge is power. It is knowledge that empowers and protects children, as long as it is age-appropriate. At secondary school, Sex Education is statutory and we believe that primary schools should prepare children with accurate knowledge about puberty and human reproduction before they transfer to secondary school. For more information on withdrawing your child from Sex Education please read our 'Relationships and Sex Education (SRE) and Health Education Policy' and make your request known to the Headteacher in writing. 

More Information on the Curriculum:

At Applecroft, we use a scheme of work called 'Jigsaw' to deliver both our RSE and Sex Education curriculum. For more detailed information on this please click here to go to our PSHE Curriculum page.