Personal, Social, Health Education and Relationships Sex and Health

Context

All schools must provide a curriculum that is broadly based, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils. Under section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and the Academies Act 2010, a PSHE curriculum:

• Promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and
• Prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

This policy meets the requirements that schools publish a Relationships and Sex Education policy and does this within the wider context of Personal, Social and Health Education. 

PSHE

At Ashcombe Primary School, we teach Personal, Social, Health Education as a whole-school approach to underpin children’s development as people and because we believe that this also supports their learning capacity.

The Jigsaw Programme offers us a comprehensive, carefully thought-through Scheme of Work which brings consistency and progression to our children’s learning in this vital curriculum area.

The overview of the programme can be seen on the school website.

This also supports the “Personal Development” and “Behaviour and Attitude” aspects evaluated under the Ofsted Inspection Framework, as well as significantly contributing to the school’s Safeguarding and Equality Duties, the Government’s British Values agenda and the SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural) development opportunities provided for our children.

Statutory Relationships and Health Education

“The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019, made under sections 34 and 35 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, make Relationships Education compulsory for all pupils receiving primary education…They also make Health Education compulsory in all schools except independent schools. Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) continues to be compulsory in independent schools.”

DfE Guidance p.8

“Today’s children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world and living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way.”

“This is why we have made Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools in England…as well as making Health Education compulsory in all state-funded schools.”

“In primary schools, we want the subjects to put in place the key building blocks of healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online. This will sit alongside the essential understanding of how to be healthy.”

“These subjects represent a huge opportunity to help our children and young people develop. The knowledge and attributes gained will support their own, and others’ wellbeing and attainment and help young people to become successful and happy adults who make a meaningful contribution to society.”

Secretary of State Foreword   DfE Guidance 2019 p.4-5

“Schools are free to determine how to deliver the content set out in the DfE guidance 2019 in the context of a broad and balanced curriculum. Effective teaching in these subjects will ensure that core knowledge is broken down into units of manageable size and communicated clearly to pupils, in a carefully sequenced way, within a planned programme of lessons.”

DfE Guidance p.8

“All schools must have in place a written policy for Relationships Education and RSE.”

DfE Guidance p.11

Here, at Ashcombe Primary School we value PSHE as one way to support children’s development as human beings, to enable them to understand and respect who they are, to empower them with a voice and to equip them for life and learning.

We include the statutory Relationships and Health Education within our whole-school PSHE Programme.

To ensure progression and a spiral curriculum, we use Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, as our chosen teaching and learning programme and tailor it to children’s needs. The mapping document: Jigsaw 3-11 and statutory Relationships and Health Education, jigsaw-3-11-and-rshe-overview-map.pdf (windows.net), shows exactly how Jigsaw and therefore our school, meets the statutory Relationships and Health Education requirements.

This programme’s complimentary update policy ensures we are always using the most up to date teaching materials and that our teachers are well-supported.

Our PSHE policy is informed by existing DfE guidance:

• Keeping Children Safe in Education (statutory guidance) Keeping children safe in education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Respectful School Communities: Self Review and Signposting Tool (a tool to support a whole school approach that promotes respect and discipline) Respectful School Communities Self-Review and Signposting Tool (educateagainsthate.com)
• Behaviour and Discipline in Schools (advice for schools, including advice for appropriate behaviour between pupils) Behaviour in schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Equality Act 2010 and schools Equality Act 2010: advice for schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years (statutory guidance) SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Alternative Provision (statutory guidance) Alternative provision - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools (advice for schools) Mental health and behaviour in schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Social, emotional and mental wellbeing in primary and secondary education. (NICE guidance) Overview | Social, emotional and mental wellbeing in primary and secondary education | Guidance | NICE
• Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges (guidance for schools and colleges) Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Preventing and Tackling Bullying (advice for schools, including advice on cyberbullying) Preventing bullying - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• The Equality and Human Rights Commission Advice and Guidance (provides advice on avoiding discrimination in a variety of educational contexts) Advice and guidance | Equality and Human Rights Commission (equalityhumanrights.com)
• Promoting Fundamental British Values as part of SMSC in schools (guidance for maintained schools on promoting basic important British values as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) Promoting fundamental British values through SMSC - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• SMSC requirements for independent schools (guidance for independent schools on how they should support pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development). Regulating independent schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Jigsaw Programme is aligned to the PSHE Association Programmes of Study for PSHE. pshe-association-programme-of-study-2020-map.pdf

What do we teach when and who teaches it?

Whole-school approach

Jigsaw covers all areas of PSHE for the primary phase including statutory Relationships and Health Education. The table below gives the learning theme of each of the six Puzzles (units) and these are taught across the school; the learning deepens and broadens every year.

At Ashcombe Primary School we allocate one hour to PSHE each week in order to teach the PSHE knowledge and skills in a developmental and age-appropriate way.

These explicit lessons are reinforced and enhanced in many ways:

Assemblies and collective worship, Learning Charter, through relationships child to child, adult to child and adult to adult across the school. We aim to ‘live’ what is learnt and apply it to everyday situations in the school community.

Relationships Education

What does the DfE statutory guidance on Relationships Education expect children to know by the time they leave primary school?

Relationships Education in primary schools will cover ‘Families and people who care for me’, ‘Caring friendships’, ‘Respectful relationships’, ‘Online relationships’, and ‘Being safe’.

The expected outcomes for each of these elements can be found further on in this policy. The way the Jigsaw Programme covers these is explained in the mapping document: Jigsaw 3-11 and Statutory Relationships and Health Education.

It is important to explain that whilst the Relationships Puzzle (unit) in Jigsaw covers most of the statutory Relationships Education, some of the outcomes are also taught elsewhere in Jigsaw e.g. the Celebrating Difference Puzzle helps children appreciate that there are many types of family composition and that each is important to the children involved. This holistic approach ensures the learning is reinforced through the year and across the curriculum.

Health Education

What does the DfE statutory guidance on Health Education expect children to know by the time they leave primary school?

Health Education in primary schools will cover ‘Mental wellbeing’, ‘Internet safety and harms’, Physical health and fitness’, Healthy eating’, ‘Drugs, alcohol and tobacco’, ‘Health and prevention’, ‘Basic First Aid’, ‘Changing adolescent body’.

The expected outcomes for each of these elements can be found further on in this policy. The way the Jigsaw Programme covers these is explained in the mapping document: Jigsaw 3-11 and Statutory Relationships and Health Education.

It is important to explain that whilst the Healthy Me Puzzle (unit) in Jigsaw covers most of the statutory Health Education, some of the outcomes are taught elsewhere in Jigsaw e.g. emotional and mental health is nurtured every lesson through the Calm me time, social skills are grown every lesson through the Connect us activity and respect is enhanced through the use of the Jigsaw Charter.

Also, teaching children about puberty is now a statutory requirement which sits within the Health Education part of the DfE guidance within the ‘Changing adolescent body’ strand, and in Jigsaw this is taught as part of the Changing Me Puzzle (unit).

Again, the mapping document transparently shows how the Jigsaw whole-school approach spirals the learning and meets all statutory requirements and more.

Sex Education

The DfE Guidance 2019 (p.23) recommends that all primary schools ‘have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils.

However, ‘Sex Education is not compulsory in primary schools’. (p. 23)

Schools are to determine the content of sex education at primary school. Sex education ‘should ensure that both boys and girls are prepared for the changes that adolescence brings and – drawing on knowledge of the human life cycle set out in the national curriculum for science - how a baby is conceived and born’.

Parents’ right to request their child be excused from Sex Education

 “Parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory Relationships and Sex Education” DfE Guidance p.17

At Ashcombe Primary School, puberty is taught as a statutory requirement of Health Education and covered by our Jigsaw PSHE Programme in the ‘Changing Me’ Puzzle (unit). We conclude that sex education refers to Human Reproduction, and therefore inform parents of their right to request their child be withdrawn from the PSHE lessons that explicitly teach this i.e. the Jigsaw Changing Me Puzzle (unit) e.g.

Year 4, Lesson 2 (Having a baby)

Year 5, Lesson 4 (Conception)

Year 6, Lesson 3 (Conception, birth)

The school will inform parents of this right by way of a letter sent out during the Summer Term, before the SRE units are taught. Parents with concerns will be invited to come in and discuss their concerns with the Head teacher and PHSE lead.

Monitoring and Review

The Curriculum Committee of the governing body monitors this policy on an annual basis. This committee reports its findings and recommendations to the full governing body, as necessary, if the policy needs modification. The Curriculum Committee gives serious consideration to any comments from parents about the PSHE (RSHE) programme, and makes a record of all such comments. Governors scrutinise and ratify teaching materials to check they are in accordance with the school’s ethos.

Equality

This policy will inform the school’s Equalities Plan.

The DfE Guidance 2019 (p. 15) states, “Schools should ensure that the needs of all pupils are appropriately met, and that all pupils understand the importance of equality and respect. Schools must ensure they comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010 under which sexual orientation and gender reassignment are amongst the protected characteristics…

At the point at which schools consider it appropriate to teach their pupils about LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender), they should ensure this content is fully integrated into their programmes of study for this area of the curriculum rather than delivered as a stand-alone unit or lesson. Schools are free to determine how they do this, and we expect all pupils to have been taught LGBT content at a timely point as part of this area of the curriculum”.

At Ashcombe Primary School we promote respect for all and value every individual child. We also respect the right of our children, their families and our staff, to hold beliefs, religious or otherwise, and understand that sometimes these may be in tension with our approach to some aspects of Relationships, Health and Sex Education.

For further information please follow the link;

• Including and valuing all children. What does Jigsaw teach about LGBT+ relationships? rshe-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers-leaflet-2020.pdf (windows.net)

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed annually.

Jigsaw PSHE supplementary documents needed to explain this policy:

• Jigsaw 3-11 and statutory Relationships and Health Education (mapping document) jigsaw-3-11-and-rshe-overview-map.pdf (windows.net)

Including and valuing all children. What does Jigsaw teach about LGBT+ relationships? rshe-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers-leaflet-2020.pdf (windows.net)