THE DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION introduced compulsory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education for all secondary pupils in September 2020. Wilson’s is an ‘Early Adopter’ school and we revised our PSHE curriculum to take account of the new guidance from September 2019.

RELATIONSHIPS AND SEX EDUCATION

A guide for parents (DfE)

What is Relationships and Sex Education?

The aim of RSE is to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds, not just intimate relationships. It should enable them to know what a healthy relationship looks like and what makes a good friend, a good colleague and a successful marriage or other type of committed relationship.

It should also cover contraception, developing intimate relationships and resisting pressure to have sex (and not applying pressure). It should teach what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in relationships. This will help pupils understand the positive effects that good relationships have on their mental wellbeing, identify when relationships are not right and understand how such situations can be managed.

Subject content

Pupils are taught the facts and the law about sex, sexuality, sexual health and gender identity in an age-appropriate and inclusive way. All pupils should feel that the content is relevant to them and their developing sexuality. Sexual orientation and gender identity are explored at a timely point and in a clear, sensitive and respectful manner.

Pupils are informed about a full range of perspectives and, within the law, will be well equipped to make decisions for themselves about how to live their own lives, whilst respecting the right of others to make their own decisions and hold their own beliefs. Key aspects of the law relating to sex which are taught include the age of consent, what consent is and is not, the definitions and recognition of rape, sexual assault and harassment, and choices permitted by the law around pregnancy.

Grooming, sexual exploitation and domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour, are also addressed sensitively and clearly. Pupils are taught about the physical and emotional damage caused by female genital mutilation (FGM). As well as addressing this in the context of the law, pupils are also taught every year to recognise when relationships (including family relationships) are unhealthy or abusive (including the unacceptability of neglect, emotional, sexual and physical abuse and violence, including honour-based violence and forced marriage) and strategies to manage this or access support for themselves or others at risk.

Internet safety is also addressed in all Key Stages. Pupils are taught the rules and principles for keeping safe online. This includes how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how and to whom to report issues. Pupils will be taught to have a strong understanding of how data is generated, collected, shared and used online, for example, how personal data is captured on social media.

When this content is taught at Wilson's
Families
What will be taught
When it will be taught
That there are different types of committed, stable relationships.
Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception) and Year 10 (How are families different and what changes affect them?)
How these relationships might contribute to human happiness and their importance for bringing up children.
Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception); Year 12 (PSHE programme); Year 13 (PSHE programme)
What marriage is, including their legal status e.g. that marriage carries legal rights and protections not available to couples who are cohabiting or who have married, for example, in an unregistered religious ceremony.
Year 10 (How are families different and what changes affect them?); Year 11 (What are core values and principles in adult relationships?); Year 13 (PSHE programme)
Why marriage is an important relationship choice for many couples and why it must be freely entered into.
Key Stage 4 RE; Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception); Year 10 (How are families different and what changes affect them?)
Respectful relationships, including friendships
What will be taught
When it will be taught
The characteristics of positive and healthy friendships (in all contexts, including online) including: trust, respect, honesty, kindness, generosity, boundaries, privacy, consent and the management of conflict, reconciliation and ending relationships. This includes different (non-sexual) types of relationship.
Year 7 (What are respectful relationships?), Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 11 (How can you take responsibility for healthy relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
How stereotypes, in particular stereotypes based on sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability, can cause damage (e.g. how they might normalise non-consensual behaviour or encourage prejudice).
All years (Safeguarding), Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (What is homophobia, transphobia and sexism?), Year 11 (What are core values and principles in adult relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme)
That in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including people in positions of authority and due tolerance of other people’s beliefs.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 7 (What are respectful relationships?), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
About different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders to report bullying and how and where to get help.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 7 (What are respectful relationships?), Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 11 (How can you take responsibility for healthy relationships?), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
That some types of behaviour within relationships are criminal, including violent behaviour and coercive control.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 11 (How do you deal with Forced Marriage and Domestic Abuse?), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
What constitutes sexual harassment and sexual violence and why these are always unacceptable.
Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
The legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (particularly with reference to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 20Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?)) and that everyone is unique and equal.
Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 11 (What are core values and principles in adult relationships? How do you deal with Forced Marriage and Domestic Abuse?), Year 12 (PSHE programme)
Online and Media
What will be taught
When it will be taught
Their rights, responsibilities and opportunities online, including that the same expectations of behaviour apply in all contexts, including online.
Year 7 (How do we stay safe online?), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme)
About online risks, including that any material someone provides to another has the potential to be shared online and the difficulty of removing potentially compromising material placed online.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 7 (How do we stay safe online?), Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (How can I be assertive when dealing with risky situations and behaviours?), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
Not to provide material to others that they would not want shared further and not to share personal material which is sent to them.
Year 7 (How do we stay safe online?), Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme)
What to do and where to get support to report material or manage issues online; the impact of viewing harmful content.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 7 (How do we stay safe online?), Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?)
That specifically sexually explicit material e.g. pornography presents a distorted picture of sexual behaviours, can damage the way people see themselves in relation to others and negatively affect how they behave towards sexual partners.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
That sharing and viewing indecent images of children (including those created by children) is a criminal offence which carries severe penalties including jail.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme)
How information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online.
Year 7 (What are respectful relationships?), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme)
Being Safe
What will be taught
When it will be taught
The concepts of, and laws relating to, sexual consent, sexual exploitation, abuse, grooming, coercion, harassment, rape, domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based violence and FGM, and how these can affect current and future relationships.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (How can I be assertive when dealing with risky situations and behaviours?), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
How people can actively communicate and recognise consent from others, including sexual consent, and how and when consent can be withdrawn (in all contexts, including online).
All years (Safeguarding), Year 7 (How do we stay safe online?), Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health
What will be taught
When it will be taught
How to recognise the characteristics and positive aspects of healthy one-to-one intimate relationships, which include mutual respect, consent, loyalty, trust, shared interests and outlook, sex and friendship.
Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
That all aspects of health can be affected by choices they make in sex and relationships, positively or negatively, e.g. physical, emotional, mental, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing.
Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
The facts about reproductive health, including fertility, and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women and menopause.
Key Stage 3 Science, Key Stage 4 Biology, Year 7 (How does our body change in adolescence?), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?)
That there are a range of strategies for identifying and managing sexual pressure, including understanding peer pressure, resisting pressure and not pressurising others.
Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
That they have a choice to delay sex or to enjoy intimacy without sex.
Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
The facts about the full range of contraceptive choices, efficacy and options available.
Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
The facts around pregnancy including miscarriage.
Key Stage 3 Science, Key Stage 4 Biology, Year 10 (How can you manage positive relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme)
That there are choices in relation to pregnancy (with medically and legally accurate, impartial information on all options, including keeping the baby, adoption, abortion and where to get further help).
Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?)
How the different sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDs, are transmitted, how risk can be reduced through safer sex (including through condom use) and the importance of and facts about testing.
Key Stage 3 Science, Key Stage 4 Biology, Year 9 (How can I be assertive when dealing with risky situations and behaviours?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
About the prevalence of some STIs, the impact they can have on those who contract them and key facts about treatment.
Key Stage 3 Science, Key Stage 4 Biology, Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
How the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to risky sexual behaviour.
Year 8 (What are relationships? - inc. Consent and Contraception), Year 9 (How can I be assertive when dealing with risky situations and behaviours?), Year 13 (PSHE programme)
How to get further advice, including how and where to access confidential sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment.
All years (Safeguarding), Year 9 (How can I have healthy and happy sexual relationships?), Year 11 (How can you take responsibility for healthy relationships?), Year 12 (PSHE programme)
How and by whom RSE is taught

Pupils in all year groups will be taught RSE, predominantly as part of PSHE and Science (by teachers allocated to teach PSHE, Key Stage 3 Science, and Key Stage 4 Biology) but also as part of the curriculum in Religious Education. Pupils may also be taught about aspects of RSE by other qualified personnel including the school nurse and carefully selected visitors from other outside agencies.

Sex education will be taught in context, suitable to the age and development of the students according to the schemes of work that have been planned to ensure progression across Key Stages.

The Head of PSHE and Lead Teacher responsible for evaluating Relationship and Sex Education will continue to consider how pupil voice will be used in the on-going evaluation of PSHE and RSE in particular. Parents are welcome to contact the school at any time to ask further questions about how RSE is taught, contribute their views towards the on-going review of the school's policy and curriculum, and to see the resources that are used.
 

Wilson’s School

A boys’ grammar school in the London Borough of Sutton (UK), Wilson’s School is:

  • committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment
  • a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 7536970). Registered office: Mollison Drive, Wallington, Surrey SM6 9JW
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