Relationships, Sex and Health Education

We comply with all statutory requirements when teaching Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education.  These are primarily delivered through our Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education curriculum, but also through science and PE.  Health education includes physical and mental health, including internet safety and potential online harms.

We want our students to be kind to themselves, kind to others, and safe in all of their relationships.

As stated by DFE guidance, the curriculum below is delivered from Year 9 and by the end of secondary school.

• the facts about reproductive health, including fertility and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women and menopause
• that they have a choice to delay sex or to enjoy intimacy without sex
• the facts about the full range of contraceptive choices, efficacy and options available
• the facts around pregnancy including miscarriage
• how the different sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDs, are transmitted, how risk can be reduced through safer sex (including through condom use) and the importance of and facts about testing
• about the prevalence of some STIs, the impact they can have on those who contract them and key facts about treatment
• how to get further advice, including how and where to access confidential sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment

Each year an invite is sent allowing parents to attend school to review the resources used for teaching these topics.  Parents continue to have a right to request to withdraw their child from sex education delivered as part of RSE in secondary schools which, unless there are exceptional circumstances, should be granted up to three terms before their child turns 16. At this point, if the child themselves wishes to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn, the school should make arrangements for this to happen in one of the three terms before the child turns 16 – the legal age of sexual consent.

All other components of the curriculum, including but not limited to, intimate relationships, consent, harmful risk-taking behaviour in relation to sex and LGBTQAI+ fall under ‘Relationship Education’ which is not covered under the right to withdraw.  We believe the contents of these subjects – such as family, friendship, safety (including online safety) – are important for all children to be taught.

Requests to withdraw children from Sex Education only can be made by emailing [email protected] for the attention of Mandy Marsh, the lead for PSHE.