Relationships and Health Education
Relationships and Health Education (RHE) is an important part of our school commitment to provide pupils with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe, make healthy choices, develop respect for themselves and others, and form positive and healthy relationships.
The government guidance for Relationships and Health Education (2019) outlines statutory learning outcomes for all primary-aged pupils from September 2020. In addition, as recommended by the Department for Education, we also teach non-statutory elements of sex education in an age appropriate manner in year 6. Families are invited to view the content of these lessons as part of our annual consultation. This takes place every June - look out for the date on the school calendar. If you miss this and would like to see the content, please use the contact us tab on the website and we'll get in touch.
To deliver our curriculum, we use the Discovery Education Health and Relationships Programme to support us in meeting these outcomes through dedicated lesson time, in addition to cross-curricular learning through e.g. science (dental hygiene, healthy diet etc.) and through whole school and key stage assemblies e.g. Internet Legends online safety.
The programme lessons progress from year 1 to year 6 with activities and videos to make learning engaging and enjoyable for our pupils, as well as developing their learning and understanding in an age-appropriate way.
The curriculum is divided into six topics, as detailed below.
(c) Courtesy of Discovery Education 
This topic explores friendships: their importance, what being a good friend means, and how to keep friendships positive and healthy. Pupils investigate their own values and identity (including their online identity), and develop skills to resolve difficulties within friendships, including maintaining and respecting personal boundaries and safe touch, managing peer pressure and coping with the effects of change within friendships.
This topic focuses on and celebrates the similarities and differences between people, exploring and encouraging ways to value and respect difference and diversity . It looks at the damaging effect that stereotypes can have, and how to identify and challenge them. It helps pupils recognise their own personal strengths and abilities and develop self-respect.
This topic focuses on special people. It explores why they are special and how they care for one another and keep one another safe. It examines pupils’ increasing responsibilities towards themselves and others as they get older, including the role they can play and the difference they can make within their communities.
This topic explores the importance and diversity of families, and the characteristics of healthy, positive family relationships. It enables pupils to recognise when they may feel unsafe within a family, and how to ask for help if they need it. It identifies the characteristics of a committed relationship, and at Year 6 explores human reproduction and other ways that people can start a family.
This topic explores how to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. It looks at ways to maintain wellbeing and prevent illness; how to develop a healthy, balanced lifestyle; and the consequences and effects of different habits and choices. It encourages the development of positive self-worth and recognition, and explores what might cause or influence unhealthy ways of thinking and how to overcome them.
This topic explores how people grow and change from babies, through puberty to adulthood. At Key Stage 1, it examines ways in which children have grown and how they will continue to change, and how to develop resilience. At Key Stage 2, it identifies changes that will take place in children’s bodies during puberty, and explores ways to manage the emotional effects of life changes, including the transition to secondary school.
Teachers will answer any questions from pupils in an age-appropriate and factual way, without personal bias or judgement. Questions will be answered in one of the following ways:
- by providing an answer to the whole class;
- by giving an individual answer to a pupil;
- on rare occasions, by contacting parents if we feel the question would be better handled in the home setting.
Any questions that give rise to concerns of a safeguarding nature will be handled in line with our safeguarding policy.
Relationships and Health education became a compulsory part of the Primary School Curriculum in September 2020. The Government guidance aims to ensure that all schools promote equality, foster pupils’ respect for themselves and others, and help pupils to look after their own health and wellbeing. It also aims to meet the needs of all pupils, supporting their developing identity and prepare them for life and work in modern Britain. At St John Baptist School, this curriculum has been incorporated into our existing Values Education and required very little change to the content that children are taught in School.
However, as required by law, we held a parental consultation as we developed our policy for Relationships and Health Education and before any new content was taught to pupils. This was an opportunity to explore the content that is in the curriculum, ask questions and share any concerns. Please see the resources below to find out what Relationships and Health Education consists of at St John's.
Relationships and Health Education Informative Presentation for Parents and Carers
Relationships, Health and Sex Education Policy
RHE Letter for Parents and Carers
St John's RHE Curriculum Overview
Parental Withdrawal Form for Sex Education
For further information on topics included in the new statutory framework, please see the resources below: