What difference does our RSHE curriculum make to our learners? 

By the end of their academic journey at St Nicholas CE Primary Academy, the children will demonstrate confidence and awareness about sex and relationships in an independent and safe way. Learners will develop a good understanding about safety and risks in relationships. They will be prepared for the physical and emotional changes they undergo during puberty. RSE will promote the well-being of learners and will prepare learners for the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities of adult life. The RSE curriculum will have a positive impact on learners’ physical and mental health and well-being as well as their ability to achieve, and this will play a crucial part in meeting these obligations.

To be successful independent learners, children and young people need regular opportunities to reflect on and identify what they have learned, what needs to be learned next and what they need to do to continue their learning. Teachers also need to be clear about the progress and achievements of the pupils they teach, and how their learning might be improved. To enable this to happen, assessment has to be an integral part of the teaching and learning in all subjects, including RSHE education. However, the personal nature of RSHE education means that it cannot be assessed in the same way as most other subjects and it would be inappropriate for assessment in RSHE education to imply meeting a particular standard ‘as a person’.

It is, however, possible to recognise and evidence progress and attainment in the knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes RSHE strives to develop. It is important that children can be assessed using a method which allows them to best express their knowledge and understanding of the topic being taught, so a range of assessments are used, such as photos of practical work, freeze frame pictures, reflective diaries, drama and diagrams. Mind maps can be produced illustrating what they know, think or believe and questions they have about a new topic. At the end of the unit the children can take a different coloured pen and revisit their original mind-map, adding to it, correcting previous misconceptions and answering their original questions. This will demonstrate the progress they have made. Evidence can also be recorded through the use of individual pupils’ books or a whole class RSHE book, which pupils contribute to with pictures, reflections or annotations of work.

Monitoring of the RSHE curriculum is carried out by the RSHE coordinator, using the following methods:
• Learning walks
• Evidence in class books
• Staff questionnaires
• Pupil discussions and questionnaires
• Meetings with the head and safeguarding team

At St Nicholas CE Primary Academy we believe that Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) should play a vital role in the life of our school family. Our vision statement from Matthew 5:14-16, "Let your light shine before others", is rooted in the premise of having 'good relationships' at its heart: with good relationships, all people are able to flourish and enjoy "life in all its fulness".

We believe fully in delivering an RSHE education that covers health and relationships in order to fully prepare every child for life's challenges and opportunities.  We promote healthy, individual and responsible members of society and encourage all children to play a role in contributing to school life in a range of ways including through: fund raising, supporting charities, organising events and helping peers and others. 

We facilitate children in expressing their opinions and by remaining open-minded, willing to consider new ideas. 

Children will be taught the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other peers and adults.  Our teaching will enable our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society who are well equipped for succeeding in their next phase of education.

How does Goodness and Mercy approach RSHE?

Used in conjunction with the PSHE Association materials published by Twinkl, Goodness and Mercy offers an opportunity to ground the RSHE curriculum in an acknowledgment of the worth and dignity of all people, rooted in the Christian belief that all are divinely created and eternally loved. This offers an ethos that supports our sense of individual and communitarian value, affirms that relationships (including intimate relationships) should and can be life-giving and offers resounding reasons for looking after ourselves and others.

Does it fit with our school?

Goodness and Mercy is written particularly with Church of England and Methodist schools and academies in mind. For Church of England and Methodist schools it is important that RSHE is informed both by the national vision and values for education and by our school’s vision from Matthew 5: 14-16, "Let your light shine before others".

What is the Church’s ‘Vision for Education’?

'Goodness and Mercy' aims to fully support the Church of England vision for education: “I come that they may have life in all its fullness” (John 10:10). This scripture grounds us in the recognition that having a positive relationship with ourselves and with others is foundational for a complete and fulfilled life and in order to fulfil our vision of enabling all to flourish by "Letting their light shine".

https://goodnessandmercy.co.uk/about/

This consultation begins on Monday 17th March and closes on Friday 4th April 2025:

As a part of your child’s educational experience at St Nicholas CE Primary Academy, we aim to promote personal well-being and development through a comprehensive programme of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education that gives children and young people the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live healthy, safe, productive and fulfilled lives, both now and in the future.

As you may already be aware, the Department for Education announced changes to relationships and sex education following nationwide consultation. These changes came into effect from September 2020 and all schools are required to comply with the requirements. You can read them in full, here: Government Guidance - RSHE

The guidance focuses on healthy relationships and keeping children safe in the modern world. It also covers a wide range of topics relating to physical and mental health, wellbeing, safeguarding and healthy relationships.

Learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up will give children and young people the information, skills and positive values to have safe, fulfilling relationships and help them take responsibility for their own well-being.

Consequently, from September 2020, Relationships, along with Health Education, were made statutory, and form part of the National Curriculum. For Secondary schools Sex Education will also become statutory. However, the DfE continue to recommend that all primary schools should have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils.

Where schools provide sex education at key stages 1 and 2, parents have the right to withdraw their child from sex education but not from statutory Relationships Education, Health Education or what is taught in the Science National curriculum. This means that we have, once again, been reviewing our RSHE (Relationship, Sex and Health Education) curriculum and policy so we can be sure our RSHE provision is appropriate for our pupils based on their:

•    Age
•    Physical and emotional maturity
•    Religious and cultural backgrounds
•    Special educational needs and disabilities 

Whilst I am sure that there will be differences of opinion about this, we hope that consulting with you will help to inform our academys’ decisions on when and how certain content is covered and enable us to reach a general consensus. Consequently, as part of our curriculum review, we would appreciate your views on our draft policy for Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) and our draft policy for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE).

What is taught, and how, is ultimately a decision for the Trust and consultation does not provide a parental veto on curriculum content as schools are legally required to teach the National Curriculum. The right to withdraw children from some lessons is explained within the Government Guidance here:  The Right To Withdraw - explained

To help you understand the curriculum requirements, I have placed information on this website page which I would encourage you to read so that you feel fully informed about what you are being asked your opinion about.

The outcome of the previous consultation we held, informed us to take the following additional measures: 

· Additional details of curriculum content will be made available and presented to parents/carers when requested

· Year group specific communication will be sent prior to delivery of curriculum content. This will include a list of vocabulary that will be taught and questions that may be raised. We hope that this will enable parents to support learning and conversations that might occur at home, following any teaching

Finally, please note full curriculum documents are available on this page of our school website so that parents and carers are able to view them as appropriate.

Thank you for your continued support.