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What is RSHE Education?
Teaching Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) as a fundamental part of the curriculum.
At Hellingly our aim is to provide effective, age-appropriate PSHE/ RSHE education that meets the needs of all our pupils within an inclusive and supportive learning environment using non-biased resources. Our experienced and skilled teachers are committed to giving children the skills, knowledge and values necessary to live and learn safely in the modern world.
RSHE will be taught using the PSHE Jigsaw Scheme that enables pupils to build on their prior learning by revisiting some themes to further develop knowledge, values and skills in an age and stage-appropriate manner. Some themes are repeated as children move through the school to enable a deeper exploration of the related issues.
If you would like to know more information about our programme of relationships and sex education, we will be inviting you to attend a parent’s information session as soon as we are able to safely do so. In the meantime please familiarise yourself with the RSHE policy and read the ‘Top tips for talking to your child’ available below as PDF documents.
The vast majority of RSHE is compulsory. There is no right to withdraw from Relationships Education or Health Education.
Parents and carers are only able to request that their child is excused from Sex Education, taught outside of the national curriculum for science. If a parent wishes their child to be excused from some or all of the non-statutory Sex Education, they should discuss this with the Head of School, making clear which aspects of the programme they do not wish their child to participate in. The Head of School will outline to parents/carers the benefits of receiving this important education and any detrimental effects that withdrawal might have on the child. This could include any social and emotional effects of being excluded as well as the likelihood of the child hearing their peers’ version of what was said in the classes rather than what was directly said by the teacher (although detrimental effects may be mitigated if the parents/carers propose to deliver sex education to their child at home instead).
Once a decision has been made, parents/carers must inform the school in writing stating their reasons as to why they would like their child withdrawn. Once these discussions have taken place, except in exceptional circumstances, our school will respect a parent/carers’ request to have their child excused from non-statutory sex education up to and until three terms before the child turns 16. After that point, if the child wishes to receive sex education, rather than be withdrawn, the school should make arrangements to provide the child with sex education during one of those terms. The school will document this process. Please also read RSHE A Guide for parents and carers Leaflet 2020 below.
Jigsaw – The mindful approach
This programme helps us to deliver emotional literacy, social skills, mindfulness and spiritual development in a cohesive, comprehensive and creative way. Each class from Reception to Year 6 has a weekly lesson that promotes these very important aspects of learning. The lessons are supported by video clips, powerpoint presentations, music and discussions as well as a class mascot!
The whole school follows the same theme every half term pitched at the appropriate level. The themes are:-
Being Me in My World
Celebrating Difference
Dreams and Goals
Healthy Me
Relationships
Changing Me