What Is RSE In Primary Education?
Published 12 August 2020 by Kapow Primary
Published 12 August 2020 by Kapow Primary
RSE is a hot topic right now in primary education, and you might be asking yourself – what is the meaning of RSE?
RSE stands for “relationships and sex education” and as part of Relationships and Health Education, is a new approach to teaching children about relationships and health.
The Relationships Education, RSE, and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 have made Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools. Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools.
All primary school children will be required to learn about relationships and health. Relationships and Health Education comprises two distinct areas:
Schools will have a lot of freedom to decide how to teach the new curriculum but must teach in a way that is:
The current curriculum has not been updated for 20 years. So much change has happened since then. Children need to learn what is relevant to them and the world they are growing up in.
The new Relationships and Health Education 2020 curriculum is designed to:
The relationships part of the new curriculum will teach the children what they need to learn to build positive and safe relationships:
Schools should teach in a way that is appropriate to children’s ages and will look at the following questions:
By the time a child finishes primary school, they will have been taught about the following in Relationships Education:
The physical health and mental wellbeing part of the new RSE curriculum will teach the children how to:
By the time children finish primary school, they will have been taught about the following:
Parents cannot withdraw their child from any part of the Relationships and Health Education aspects of the RSE curriculum. It is important for ALL children to be taught the content on such essential matters as friendships and keeping safe. Find a guide for parents and carers in our toolkit here.
There are separate rules on withdrawing a child from Sex Education. Sex education is separate from the Relationships and Health curriculum and parents can withdraw children from some or all of the lessons on Sex Education. The headteacher must grant a parent’s request to withdraw a child beforehand, and it’s useful to have good conversations with parents so that they understand fully what their child will be taught.
Before making a request, parents should:
As a school, you must teach in a way that reflects the age and religious background of the
pupils. You must consult parents when developing and renewing your policies on Relationships and Health
Education. You must publish your policies on Relationships and Health Education online, and make them available free of charge. Parents can express their opinions, and this will help each school to decide:
If you are looking for help and guidance with RSE education in your school, here at Kapow Primary, take out a no-obligation 7-day free trial to our RSE scheme of work, and we have also produced a free RSE toolkit that contains: