RSE & HE Statement
STATEMENT ON RELATIONSHIPS SEX EDUCATION & HEALTH EDUCATION (RSE & HE)
In common with all schools across the country, The Rosewood School (TRS) introduced the statutory RSE curricula in the 2020-21 school year. The curriculum from Year 1 - 5 covers Relationships Education and is run holistically through the curriculum. From Year 6 upwards, the curriculum is titled Relationships and Sex Education. For convenience, both the Relationships Education programme and the Relationships & Sex Education programme are referred to in this statement as RSE. From Year 7 upwards the curriculum covers RSE & HE (Relationships & Sex Education and Health Education)
All programmes have been designed from the curriculum guidance provided by the Department for Education and the PSHE Association. The programmes build on the existing PSHE/Enrichment programme in place at TRS, and the new curriculum extends from consultations that took place from the beginning of the 2019-20 school year involving all TRS stakeholders.
TRS has published policies on RSE on the school website. TRS intends parents and pupils to feel assured that Relationships Education and Relationships & Sex Education will be delivered at a level appropriate to both the age and development of pupils, and to feel safe to voice opinions and concerns relating to any aspect of RSE provision.
RSE is lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about teaching pupils about relationships in a way that is fully understood and effectively retained by pupils in our care. It is also about teaching what it is to be in a caring, stable and mutually supportive relationship with another person, and how to control and understand feelings that come with being in a relationship.
TRS school would like to emphasise that by providing comprehensive RSE we are not encouraging pupils to become sexually active at a young age. The aim of this programme is to ensure that the right provision is in place so that pupils may have all the background knowledge they need to make informed decisions and responsible choices as they grow up.
Through the programme, TRS also aims to raise pupils’ self-esteem and confidence, trying to develop communication and assertiveness skills that can help them stay true to their values if challenged by others, their peers or what they see in the media. We hope to teach pupils to be accepting of the different beliefs, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, physical and mental abilities, backgrounds and values of those around them. We want our pupils to lead a healthy and safe lifestyle, teach them to care for and respect their bodies and provide them with all the right tools that will enable them to seek information or support, should they need it, both during their school years and after.
The aims of RSE at TRS are to:
- Provide a framework in which sensitive discussions can take place;
- Prepare pupils for puberty, and give them an understanding of sexual development and the importance of health and hygiene;
- Help pupils develop feelings of self-respect, confidence and empathy;
- Create a positive culture around issues of relationships and sexuality;
- Teach pupils the correct vocabulary to describe themselves and their bodies;
- Demonstrate how the TRS values relate to, inform and support the understanding of relationships of all kinds