Relationships and Sex Education

Understanding Relationships, Sex and Health Education at your child’s secondary school

A Guide for Parents

We want all children to grow up healthy, happy, safe and able to manage the challenges and opportunities of modern Britain. That’s why, from September 2020, all secondary age children have been taught Relationships, Sex and Health Education.

These subjects are designed to equip your child with knowledge to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships as well as preparing them for a successful adult life. The world for all young people looks very different from the way it did 21 years ago when this curriculum was last updated – these changes bring the content into the 21st century, so that it is relevant for your child.

We have adapted our curriculum to deliver the content in a way that is age and developmentally appropriate and sensitive to the needs and religious background of our pupils.

Relationships and Sex Education

At the Appleton School Relationships and Sex Education will build on the teaching at primary. It aims to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds.

We cover content on what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like and what makes a good friend, colleague and successful marriage or committed relationship. At the appropriate time, the focus will move to developing intimate relationships, to equip your child with knowledge they need to make safe, informed and healthy choices as they progress through adult life.

By the end of secondary school, pupils will have been taught content on:

  • families
  • respectful relationships, including friendships
  • online media
  • being safe
  • intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health

You can find further details by searching ‘relationships, sex and health education’ on GOV.UK

Health Education

At the Appleton School the aim of our Health Education is to give your child the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to recognise issues in themselves and others, and to seek support as early as possible when issues arise.

By the end of secondary school, pupils will have been taught content on:

  • 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

You can find further details by searching ‘relationships, sex and health education’ on GOV.UK

Your rights as a parent

The important lessons you teach your child about healthy relationships, looking after themselves and staying safe, are respected and valued under the national curriculum. Teaching at this school will complement and reinforce the lessons you teach your child as they grow up.

We have consulted with parents when developing and renewing our policy on Relationships, Sex and Health Education. All relevant policies on this topic as well as safeguarding are available on the school website.

We have given parents the opportunity to express their opinion. We also speak to the students and value their opinion. We use this to help decide how and when to cover the content of the statutory guidance. We also use this information to help us decide what other non-statutory content is also best suited to our school. All our teaching of any of these topics reflects the age and religious background of our students.

Whilst we started teaching many of the current topics in September 2019, we are constantly reviewing and updating the content in order to meet local and national issues/topics.

You cannot withdraw your child from Health Education or the Relationships Education element of Relationships and Sex Education, because it is important that all children receive this content, covering topics such as friendships and how to stay safe.

If you do not want your child to take part in some or all of the Sex Education lessons delivered at the school, then you can ask for them to be withdrawn. The school will consider this request and discuss it with you, and it will be granted, unless in exceptional circumstances, up until three school terms before your child turns 16. At this age, your child can choose to receive Sex Education if they would like to, and the school will arrange for your child to receive this teaching in one of those three terms (unless there are exceptional circumstances).

If you chose to withdraw your child from Sex Education in September 2019 then this has been adhered too. This remained the case until September 2020, when the new subjects became compulsory and the new right to withdraw provision was applied.

The science curriculum in all maintained schools also includes content on human development, including reproduction, which there is no right to withdraw from.

Dfe guidance can be found here and here

There is also a useful guide for parents about the new RSE statutory guidance that can be found here.

RSE and Health Education Curriculum

Year 7 Autumn term 2

  • Ground rules
  • Types of healthy relationships
  • Friendships
  • Equality
  • Gender identity and sexuality – being myself
  • Puberty and reproduction
  • How babies are made
  • Recognising and responding to bullying and peer-on-peer abuse
  • Asking for help

Year 8 Autumn term 2

  • My changing body:
  • Ground rules
  • Hormones – taken out from Yr7
  • Sexuality and attraction
  • FGM/forced marriage and the law
  • Commitment
  • Contraception
  • Sexting – sharing of nudes/semi-nudes

Year 9 Spring term

  • Ground rules
  • Self-esteem – body image, the media and cosmetic procedures
  • Consent – how to give, withdraw and withhold consent in a relationship
  • Sex and the media
  • CSE/CCE
  • Contraception
  • STI’s and how to prevent them
  • Safe or unsafe

Year 10 Summer term

  • Gender identity and sexuality – diverse relationships
  • Disrespect and how to recognise it
  • Consent – how to give, withdraw and withhold consent in a relationship
  • Healthy relationships
  • Readiness for intimacy and the right not to engage in sexual activities
  • Underage sex and the implications
  • Contraception and condom demonstration
  • Pregnancy – abortion and the law

Year 11 Autumn term

  • Sexuality
  • Pressures – sex and the media, the impact on sexual norms and ethics
  • Healthy relationships – responding to unhealthy and abusive relationships
  • Consent – understanding coercion and persuasion
  • Honour based violence
  • Contraception
  • STD’s
  • Aids and HIV
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