Relationships & Sex Education (RSE) Policy

Date of Policy:	For Academic Year 2022-23
Date for Review:	August 2023
Lead for Review:	Assistant Head (PPPD)

Contents

Contents	2

Preface	3

What is Relationships and Sex Education?	3

Subject Content	3

How is it taught and monitored?	4

Parental rights of withdrawal	5

Equality	5

Parental consultation	5

Appendices	6

Appendix 1: LETTER TO PARENTS REGARDING RSE FOR 2022/23	6

Preface

The school intends that all students experience a programme of RSE at a level which is appropriate for their age, ability and development.

UK primary students are taught to understand the importance of self-respect and self-worth and develop personal attributes including honesty, integrity, courage, humility, kindness, generosity, trustworthiness and a sense of justice. Students coming to Guildhouse London often do not have this pre-requisite knowledge.

What is Relationships and Sex Education?

The term Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is used to stress that our approach goes beyond provision of biological information to focus also on attitudes and values, developing self-esteem and the skills to manage relationships in line with the Guildhouse London core values. We want our RSE policy to encourage students to be:

considerate of others,

capable of recognising situations, and

confident to respond in an appropriate manner.

According to DfE guidance, RSE is “lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance of marriage for family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care. It is also about the teaching of sex, sexuality and sexual health”.

Students will also be educated in the complex issues of relationships and peer pressure online, along with how to use technology safely, responsibly, and respectfully. Students will be encouraged to interact positively and to understand their legal responsibilities when using social media and online technology, including how to keep personal information private, challenge harmful content and balance online and offline worlds.

Subject Content

The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education guidance from the DfE outlines a range of topics that should be covered. The Guildhouse PSHE scheme of work has embedded these topics within it, clearly mapping the stated objectives in the guidance to the scheme of work.

Some areas of content below relate only to sex education and these are areas from which some younger students might be withdrawn by parents.

The topics covered are:

Families

Respectful relationships, including friendships

Online and media

Being safe

Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health

Mental wellbeing

Internet safety and harms

Physical health and fitness

Healthy eating

Drugs, alcohol, and tobacco

Health and prevention

Basic first aid

Changing adolescent body

How is it taught and monitored?

Guildhouse London’s approach to RSE is as follows:

RSE modules are delivered within a planned PSHE Education programme.

PSHE knowledge and understanding is taught through one tutorial lesson each week by personal tutors (form tutors), as well as in subjects like science.

Attitudes and values are taught across the school as part of the Guildhouse London values, as are personal and social skills. The PSHE curriculum is designed so that students who might be at the school for as little as one term still experience a broad range of PSHE topics, including RSE. All students attend the daily school Registration, most of which focus on PSHE/RSE.

Provision of appropriate information is through leaflets, books, posters, use of appropriate websites as highlighted in the RSE Scheme of Work and external agencies/ speakers.

Content is presented in an age-appropriate way, recognising the needs of second language learners and accommodating SEND requirements as known. The school recognises the increased vulnerability of SEND students and responds accordingly.

Values are explored that support positive relationships and students’ developing emotional awareness and management.

Teaching is conducted in a safe learning environment through ground rules and distancing techniques so that students are not put on the spot or expected to discuss their own personal issues in class.

Teaching resources are selected for their appropriateness to students’ abilities and needs.

A Pastoral Director is responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluating PSHE/RSE with those who deliver it formally in classrooms, through the Personal Development Journals, learning walks and academic reports.

Parental rights of withdrawal

The law states there is no parental right to withdraw from relationships education at secondary level. Parents have the right to excuse their child from sex education at secondary level, but students have the right to opt in themselves from the age of 15 years.

Staff are open to discuss any concerns parents and carers may have in relation to RSE and the needs of their child. Guildhouse London aims to work in partnership with parents and carers, informing them about what their children will be learning and about how they can contribute at home.

Any request by a parent to withdraw their child from sex education should be made in writing to the Principal.

Equality

At Guildhouse London, RSE is taught in a way that does not subject pupils to discrimination and is mindful of individuals’ religious, spiritual and moral beliefs. The school has a duty under the Equality Act, (2010) to ensure that teaching is accessible to all children and young people, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

RSE will foster good relations between students, tackle all types of prejudice, including homophobia, and promote understanding, respect and diversity. Staff will support students in developing qualities and skills such as resilience, confidence, self-respect and self-control.

Parental consultation

The PSHE programme is reviewed and evaluated each year in the summer by the Pastoral Management Team. There is a designated Pastoral Director that leads on the PSHE Curriculum. Parents were emailed the topics that form the RSE curriculum and invited to comment prior to the introduction of this policy. It will be reviewed each summer and parents will be invited to comment. Although consultation feedback will be considered, parents do not have the right to define the school curriculum, nor influence that which is required under Education law.

Appendices

Appendix 1: LETTER TO PARENTS REGARDING RSE FOR 2022/23

(Sent in NEWSLETTER 16/09/22)

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Re: Relationships and Sex and Education (RSE) curriculum delivery.

I write to you at this time to advise you of our delivery of RSE.

We deliver our programme of RSE according to UK Government guidance, which states that such education is statutory through the compulsory education years. Our programme is delivered at a level that is considered appropriate to each programme of study and age group.

The delivery is undertaken through a variety of methods including workshops, discussion groups and well planned PSHE lessons (Personal, Social and Health Education).

Please find our RSE Policy on the school website.

We invite you to comment on this policy, prior to our final review and update of it at the end of September 2022.

Kind regards,

Guildhouse School London