Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) Intent and Implementation

 

Intent

 

At Westwood we offer a high quality, informative and engaging Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), which is taught in a respectful, factual and age appropriate manner. The curriculum offer has been well mapped out to ensure progression of the seven areas of learning across year groups and key stages. All lessons are careful planned to ensure that they are memorable and they incorporate active and outdoor elements to ensure that the health education is promoted throughout everything we do. Where cross curricular links can be made these are exploited to ensure a further, in depth understanding of the RSHE curriculum and it further embeds the learning that has taken place.

 

Through the invaluable RSHE education that the pupils receive, children at Westwood learn to become well rounded citizens with a good level of understanding of how to support their physical and mental health now and in the future. They also are equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions about the world around them and the relationships that they enter into now and in later life. This is turn will help to keep the children of Westwood safe throughout their time at school and as they enter further education and adulthood.

Implementation

 

In the Early Years, the EYFS curriculum provides the basis for the work surrounding Personal Social and Emotional Development. In years 1 to 6, the curriculum content is supported through the use of the You, Me and PSHE scheme of work.  The teaching of RSHE remains high profile across the school as it is taught half termly within all year groups. This learning takes place within the adventure curriculum approach where appropriate. When a clear and meaningful link between the half term’s adventure story and the RSHE focus of study is not obvious the content is taught distinctly. The curriculum topics are additionally supported by Mindmate lessons each half term to enhance the emotional health and wellbeing of all our pupils. As a school we also provide ‘Pol Ed’ lessons (police Education) termly. These lessons were created by West Yorkshire Police and the school has adopted these. They educate the children about the police force, their role and how the police can support children, school and the community.  Off timetable celebration days occur throughout the academic year to raise awareness of particular topics, such as Anti-bullying Week and Online Safety Week. These are in addition to the rigorous curriculum that is in place. Assemblies based on the different aspects of the RSHE curriculum are a key part of the education that the children receive and they are interwoven throughout the year to ensure that RSHE remains a high priority and to support the children holistically throughout their time at Westwood.

At Westwood we pride ourselves on having our children and our community at the centre of everything that we do. With this in mind, our curriculum follows the scheme of work to cover the necessities the curriculum demands, however we provide additional education depending on the needs of the children at any particular moment. These flexible and reactionary lessons respond to the needs of the children and provide a meaningful supplement to the RSHE education that takes place. This ensures that the children are given the skills to be able to overcome any concerns they may have. In addition to this Time to Talk sessions are held weekly in each class. The topic of the session may be chosen by the class teacher to reflect the need of the class or it may be led by the children’s needs. A Time To Talk box is prominent in every classroom and this is a place for children to place suggestions for the Time To Talk sessions. These are extremely valuable as they highlight the areas of concern or interest that the children have. These are then addressed with the Time To Talk sessions. Topic  suggestions have also been given to staff for times when an obvious topic need has not been highlighted. These suggestions cover a range of RSHE topics and learning opportunities.

 

Wherever possible, our RSHE curriculum is enhanced by trips, visitors, off timetable days and residentials as this provides the real life experiences needed for our children and helps bring the curriculum to life. As RSHE is taught regularly throughout the year it gives the children the opportunity to think about how they can be the best version of themselves and make the right choices in everything that they do. In addition to this, the British Value Cards reward system supports the learning that takes place within RSHE lessons and the wider curriculum and promotes the children being well rounded individuals as well. RSHE is at the centre of everything that we do at Westwood and our culture of respect, courtesy and inclusivity is at the centre of the ethos of the school and everything we do.

 

Below outlines the progression though the seven areas of learning outlined in the You, Me and PSHE scheme of work. This scheme ensures that it adopts all of the statutory objectives included within the Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance.

 

Physical Health and Wellbeing.

Throughout the Early Years children learn to develop their physical skills through indoor and outdoor play. This ensures they strengthen their fine and gross motor skills. They learn how to provide basic self-care, such as managing toileting needs and dressing skills.  An emphasis is also placed on learning how their body changes during exercise and why heathy eating is important to maintaining positive physical health and wellbeing. The children discuss their special times at home and family routines and learn about these times in the houses of their peers. This is extended in key stage one where the children at Westwood learn about foods associated with special times and across different cultures and also eating healthy. They gather a better understanding of active playground games from around the world and the importance of a physical activity sleep and rest. The children identify people who help us to stay healthy and learn about basic hygiene routines. The children gain a good level of understanding of sun safety as well. In Lower Key Stage Two children develop their understanding of food and drinks by exploring healthy choices and how branding can affect which foods people choose to buy. The begin to gain an awareness of why people may eat or avoid certain foods, for example due to religious, moral, health or cultural reasons. Other reasons for food choices are also taught, such as ethical farming, fair trade and seasonality. The children strengthen their knowledge of the importance of physical health by learning about the importance of sleep. Children discuss keeping active and that there can be some challenges to maintaining an active lifestyle. In Upper Key Stage Two, the children learn about the influence that the media can have on our physical health and wellbeing. The children are educated about the messages given on food advertisements that can often be misleading. They are given the chance to think about role models and also how the media can manipulate images and that these images may not reflect reality.

 

Keeping Safe and Managing Risk

Within the Early Years the children are encouraged and supported to take risks in a managed way in all aspects of learning, whether that be whilst climbing on the outdoor equipment or when building the tallest tower using wooden bricks. The children are explicitly taught ways to keep safe, for instance how to hold scissors correctly and who can help them in all aspects of their life. These practical experiences are extended in Key Stage One. Throughout this key stage the children are taught about personal safety, staying safe in familiar settings, in the home (including fire safety), outside and road safety. The children explore who the people are that are able to keep them safe outside the home. In Lower Key Stage Two pupils explore keeping safe in terms of their gaming habits, keeping safe near roads, rail, water, building sites and around fireworks. They also build on their knowledge of people that help us by learning what to do in an emergency situation and how to deliver basic first aid procedures. The children also develop the ability to recognise bullying and how it can make people feel, what the different types of bullying are and how to respond to incidents of bullying. They discuss what to do if they witness bullying. In Upper Key Stage Two, the children build upon their knowledge of computer gaming safety by learning about how to stay safe in the wider online world and how to report harmful contact or content. They are taught that violence within relationships (including LGBT) is not acceptable. Discussions and activities also take place around problems that can arise when a person goes missing from home as well. Keeping safe in the local community is highlighted as well. There is an exploration of the feelings the children may feel when they are out an about in the local area as their independence grows. This is built upon as the children identify the consequences of anti-social behaviour (including gangs and gang related behaviour) and they learn to recognise and respond to peer pressure.

 

Identity, Society and Equality

In the Early Years the children learn to develop their place within their setting, they learn how resources need to be shared with their friends and how they begin to develop friendships with other children. They learn about other cultures and special celebrations. They are able to discuss why they and their family are special and they are given many opportunities to talk about their home life. Close links between home and school are vital in the Early Years and parents are invited into the classroom weekly to celebrate the work the children have completed over the past week by looking through their child’s book and leaving a comment about what they have seen. This celebration of the individual child is extended in Key Stage One as the children are able to discuss what makes themselves and other special. They are taught to work co-operatively with others and to gain a greater understanding of role and responsibilities at home and at school. In Lower Key Stage Two, children celebrate differences, they learn about valuing the similarities and differences between themselves and others. They start to understand what is meant by community and also about belonging to different groups. Children are explicitly taught about democracy and that they live in a democratic society. They gain an understanding of how laws are made and the local council. This is extended upon in Upper Key Stage Two where the children learn about human rights. The children explore human rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The children learn about homelessness and refugees as well. Also within Upper Key Stage Two, the children are given a greater breadth of knowledge about stereotypes, including gender stereotyping and also about prejudice and discrimination and how this can make people feel.

 

Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Education

During their time in the Early Years at Westwood, the children learn about keeping their body healthy and to share their feelings with trusted adult is they feel unwell or need help in any way. In Key Stage One, the children learn about what can go into and on our bodies and how it can make people feel. The gain an understanding of why medicines are taken, where they come from and how to keep safe around medicines. This knowledge is extended so that the children know that medicines can be used to manage and treat medical conditions such as asthma and that it is important to follow the instructions on the medicine. In Lower Key Stage Two, the definition of a drug and that drugs (including medicines) can be harmful to people, drugs that are common in everyday life and why people choose to use them. Children are made aware of the effects and the risks of smoking, including second-hand smoke and the risk of drinking alcohol. Children are given the information about where help can be sought for people that want to remain free from smoking or to stop smoking. The children are able to identify different patterns of behaviour that are related to drug use a well. In Upper Key Stage Two, children deepen their understanding of the risks associated with smoking drugs (including cigarettes, e-cigs, cannabis, solvents, medicines and other legal and illegal drugs). They build upon their prior knowledge of drugs to learn about the different influences on drug use and how to assess and manage the level of risk in different situations involving drug use. They learnt strategies to be able to resist pressure from others about whether to use drugs, in particular smoking and alcohol.

 

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

When accessing learning in the Early Years, the children are encouraged to be self-confident and self-aware. This underpins the learning that takes place in all areas of the curriculum. Hey learnt to become more independent, confident in new situations and to describe themselves in a positive light and to talk about their abilities. Children learn how to manage their feelings and behaviours and how to overcome problems they face when learning. They are able to also talk about people that are special to them and begin to play co-operatively with their friends. These foundations are built upon in Key Stage One where children learn about different types of feelings, managing feelings and how to deal with change or loss. The children deepen their knowledge of the importance of people in their lives. They learn about what the characteristics of positive friendships are and who can help them make friendships. They are also educated about how to solve problems that might arise within friendships. In Lower Key Stage Two, pupils celebrate achievements and set personal goals. They discover how to deal with negative comments and how to respond in positive ways with any set-backs. In Upper Key Stag Two, children build on their prior learning and recognise how to deal with feelings. They learn about the wide range of emotions and feelings and how these can be experienced within the body. They learn about times of change and how this can make people feel (this includes feelings of loss, grief and bereavement). Mental health and the meaning of this is closely studied. How mental health can be affected is communicated and children are given ways to help deal with these affects. Everyday ways to look after their own mental health are highlighted to the children and the sigma and discrimination that can surround mental health is also raised.

 

Careers, Financial Capability and Economic Wellbeing

Occupations that people perform are explored within the Early Years setting. Children explore this through a variety of means such as stories, visitors and role play. Through practical lessons children learn about money and that is used to buy items. This prior knowledge is built upon in Key Stage One when children learn more about the different jobs that people do. The children gain a greater understanding of money and where it comes from, how to make choices when spending money, ways to save money and also how to keep their money safe. When in Lower Key Stage Two, children are taught what influences people choices about saving and spending money. They learn how to keep track of their money and budgeting. The world of work is also explored. In Upper Key Stage Two, borrowing and earning money is visited. The fact that money can be borrowed but there are risks associated with this are highlighted. They children gain a greater understanding of enterprise, this is supported through school as all children take part in one enterprise project each academic year. The children also learn about what influences people decision’s about the career they choose to follow.

 

Relationships and Sex Education

Relationships are a key part of everything we do at Westwood, there is an ethos of mutual respect, courtesy and manners. This is embedded across the whole curriculum. In the Early Years, children learn to make relationships both at home and at school. Building upon each other’s play, knowing who to seek help from and resolving conflicts are all part of the everyday experience of the practical, fun and engaging curriculum that the children are exposed to. These concrete foundations are built upon in Key Stage One. In this key stage, children begin to understand and respect differences and similarities between people. They learn about different types of family, including same sex couples, single parents and marriage. They recognise that their home life is special and that they are entitled to a caring and loving home life. They are taught that everybody needs to be cared for and they identify ways in which they could care for others. The children move on to learning about biological differences between male and female animals and their roles in the life cycle. They begin to explore the difference between male and female children as well. Growing from young to old is taught and it is highlighted to the children that they are growing and changing. This knowledge of growing in deepened in year 4. The children learn about the way we grow and change through the human lifecycle. They learn about physical changes associated with puberty, menstruation and wet dreams. The impact of puberty in physical hygiene and strategies for managing this are given to the children. It is highlighted to the children that puberty affects emotions ad behaviour. The children are taught strategies to deal with the changes associated with puberty. The children are encouraged to talk confidently about puberty and seek support and advice when they need it. Whilst in Lower Key Stage Two, the children are also given strategies to deal with feelings in the context of relationships. In Upper Key Stage, puberty is explored in more detail. The changes that occur are revisited and extended upon. The children learn about the human reproduction cycle, conception of a baby and pregnancy is also discussed. Children also learn about different attitudes and values around gender stereotyping and sexuality. They are encouraged to consider where these originate from and the impact of them. The values that are important to the children within relationships are explored and also the importance of friendship in intimate relationships. The role and responsibilities of parents and carers is raised as well. The right to a caring and loving home life is reinforced at this point. Finally, the children are encouraged to answer each other’s questions about sex and relationships with confidence and they are reminded of how to access support and advice when they need it.