Intent

PSHE/RSHE is an important and necessary part of all children’s education. The purpose of PHSE and Relationships Education at Ellison Boulters is to promote spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of children at the school and in society and prepare children at school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. PSHE/RSHE education contributes to personal development by helping pupils to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem. Every year children visit the NSPCC’s Pants Rule resources so that they know what constitutes appropriate physical contact with others. It is also supports children 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.

All Church of England and Methodist schools within the Diocese of Lincoln are statutorily required to teach Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education. Within the context of Christian beliefs about human dignity (e.g. Genesis 1:26-27) and the need to love your neighbour as you love yourself (e.g. Mark 12:30-31), RSHE enables pupils to flourish and gain every opportunity to live fulfilled lives.

Implementation

The Academy’s PSHE/RSHE curriculum has been developed in consultation with various stakeholders, including governors, staff, pupils and parents/carers and takes into account the context of the school and its pupils.

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in PSHE/RSHE we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the school. Lessons are taken from the Twinkl scheme of work and then carefully reviewed and adapted to ensure they meet the learning needs of the children in our school. The learning objects remain the same in each unit of work and teaching must cover them. There is no defined time expectation for the teaching of PSHE/RSE however, the curriculum is taught through regular, discreet lessons of 45 minutes to an hour. It is important that the lessons are taught by the class teacher or another adult with whom the class is familiar. The children should understand what PSHE and RSHE mean.

At Ellison Boulters any content that might be regarded as Sex Education, for example learning about human body parts, growth, puberty and reproduction, are taught through the Science Curriculum. Sex Education in primary schools is not mandatory; however, the National Curriculum for Science in primary schools includes content about human body parts, growth, puberty and reproduction. We teach the reproduction lessons as part of our life cycle work as outlined on the progression document (Appendix 1) and address puberty and growing up with an initial Science input followed by the opportunity to discuss what this means and ask questions in a safe space. All questions are valued. Children are encouraged to celebrate transition to adult hood and growing up, seeing it as a positive step. We contact parents beforehand, giving them time to talk through these matters with their children first should they wish to do so. We let them know the topics that we will cover in advance.

The PSHE/RSHE curriculum

The topics that are covered are through the whole PSHE/RSHE curriculum are:

●       Relationships - Families and friendships

●       Relationships - Safe Relationships

●       Relationships - Respecting ourselves and others

●       Living in the Wider World - Belonging to a community

●       Living in the Wider World – Media literacy and digital resilience

●       Living in the Wider World – Money and Work

●       Health and Wellbeing – Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing

●       Health and Wellbeing – Growing and Changing

●       Health and Wellbeing – Keeping Safe

This curriculum is planned in the context of our broader curriculum intent, and the delivery of this part of the curriculum is one of the ways in which we seek to realise our overarching distinctively Christian vision. It reflects core Christian teachings about human beings and healthy relationships, including the belief that all are made in the image of God, are loved by God and are therefore to be treated with dignity and respect. This enables our pupils to understand that they should value the gift of themselves and recognise and respect this gift of uniqueness in others by seeking out healthy relationships. It also helps them to understand a range of Christian views on the importance of long-term relationships as building blocks for family stability.

The RSHE element of the PSHE curriculum is about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, healthy relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health. It is also about the spiritual and moral aspects of relationships within a context of a Christian vision for the purpose of life. At Ellison Boulters, which is a church school, pupils learn how to treat themselves and others, at all times and in all contexts, with dignity and respect  as part of their RHSE curriculum.

Relationships Education is learning about how to:

●       be appreciative of existing relationships

●       to form new healthy relationships

●       to enjoy strong positive, non-exploitative, caring relationships online and in person.

This particularly references family relationships including marriage, friendships and relationships with peers and adults.

The school uses a range of resources to deliver effective RSHE and all staff involved in delivering RSHE receive appropriate training and support. Pupil progress and attainment in RSHE is monitored at the end of units and annually. Learning is revisited at the beginning of each lesson with a starter activity to ensure that key learing points are embedded.

All RSHE is delivered with an understanding that pupils and staff may be personally engaged in different structures of support and familial relationships, including single parent families, LGBTQ families, families headed by grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents/carers, young carers, etc. The RSHE curriculum has been carefully designed to ensure that no person feels stigmatised; this is set within the context of the biblical teaching that all human beings are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-7) and that Christians are called to respect and honour everyone (e.g. 1 Peter 2:17).

Withdrawal from Sex Education

Parents/guardians do not have the right to withdraw their children from Relationships Education. Elements of Sex Education are included in the Primary Science Curriculum and parents/guardians do not have the right to withdraw their children from the Science Curriculum.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from the non-science elements of Sex Education within RSHE. Requests for withdrawal should be put in writing to the Head Teacher. Parents are invited into school and a teacher will talk through any concerns, review the materials we use, explain our rationale and advise parents when lessons will take place to give them the opportunity to talk to their children beforehand should they wish to do so. Withdrawing a child from Sex Education remains a statutory right as a parent or legal guardian.

Puberty is addressed annually from Year 4 for girls and from Year 5 for boys. This takes place in stand alone lessons which become progressively more detailed each year.

Online Safety is not only taught through PHSE/RSHE but also Computing. Some elements of PSHE/RSHE are revisited through dedicated special days and weeks, including Antibullying week, Protected Characteristics Collective Worship, British Values Collective Worship and Black History Month. Through maintaining the profile of Protected Characteristics, British Values and our Church School Values were are able to keep our vision and values at the forefront of the minds of both staff and children.

Scheme of Work and Planning

Our PSHE and RSHE Schemes of Work have been drafted based upon the Department for Education’s Relationships Education, Relationships and sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance and the recommendations of the PHSE Association in terms of progression through the year groups; the resource that we base our units of work and learning objectives on come from Twinkl. Units are arranged to compliment topic work where the opportunity arises.

Impact

The teaching of PSHE/RSHE at Ellison Boulters Church of England Academy supports children to foster lifelong aspirations, goals and values. It provides an equal opportunity for every child to develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive now and in the future. PSHE/RSHE education supports children to deal with every day issues such as friendships, emotional wellbeing and change but also helps children prepare for all of the opportunities, challenges, life decisions and responsibilities they may face in later life.