‘Love, learn, care’
SEX & RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION POLICY
To be reviewed Summer Term 2024
Rationale and ethos
At Calverley, we aim always to provide a caring environment where every child can thrive and is supported to achieve their unique & amazing potential as a child of God. We are proud of our Sex & Relationships Education (SRE) Programme & see it as an important way of helping children to make sense of growing up as well as some of the bigger questions in life. We believe that our Sex & Relationships programme promotes pupils’ self-esteem, emotional development and resourcefulness and helps children to form and maintain satisfying relationships. This begins a lifelong process of relationships and feelings, acquiring information, developing skills and forming positive beliefs and attitudes about sex and sexuality. It should help young people to learn to respect themselves and others and to move with confidence from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood.
Sex & Relationship education is learning about physical, moral, social and spiritual development and therefore helps pupils develop the skills and understanding they need to live confident, healthy and independent lives.
Main Elements of SRE:
At Calverley, there are three main elements to our Sex & Relationships Programme:
1. Attitudes and Values – These are based within the Christian context of our school and includes learning about love, respect and care in stable loving relationships as well as the value of family life and marriage within different family makeups for the nurture of children.
2. Personal and Social Skills – This includes: learning to manage emotions and relationships confidently and sensitively; making choices and understanding differences and without prejudice. It includes being aware of and recognising the dangers of child sexual exploitation and taking sensible and firm action to avoid this, i.e. following online safety rules, avoiding social media and chat rooms (especially when underage) and reporting intrusive responses both online and to an adult.
3. Knowledge and Understanding – This includes: learning and understanding physical development at appropriate stages as well as understanding human sexuality and reproduction. This includes the contribution of Science whereby babies can be made in different ways such as IVF, sexual health, emotions and relationships. The school has other resources and support including our school nurse in delivering the SRE programme.
Whilst some elements of the programme may be taught throughout the year as part of our Science curriculum, most of it will be taught as part of our Personal, Social, Health & Economic (PSHE) curriculum. As part of this work, we cover the various ‘life processes’ for both animals & humans but will have a particular focus on relationships, healthy living & growing up.
At Calverley, we believe that Effective Sex & Relationships Education should be:
· An integral part of the PSHE and Science curriculum & is delivered as part of that curriculum.
· Is provided early: before puberty, before feelings of sexual attraction and before young people develop sexual relationships.
· Is taught together within class groups, although children may be separated as and when appropriate
. · Is the entitlement of each child in school
. · Is covered with great sensitivity & provides opportunity for children to reflect, ask questions and to discuss their views on this vital aspect of life & learning.
· Offers a positive and open view of sex and sexuality and supports sexual self-acceptance. In line with the Valuing All God’s Children document (CEEO, Autumn 2017) we believe that our Sex & Relationships Education should be empowering for all pupils, regardless of gender, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, faith, ability and disability. It must also promote gender as well as LGBT equality; challenge all discrimination as well as ensure that our children understand that there are a variety of relationships & family patterns in the modern world.
Coverage:
The content covered as part of each year group can be seen in our PSHE Curriculum on the school website. We write to parents to provide information about the content for each year group & can also provide parents & carers with a helpful starting point to discuss issues that can be hard to broach. Parents & carers are notified before SRE sessions take place each year.
Roles and Responsibilities:
· It is the responsibility of the Governing Body to ensure that SRE is taught within the parameters of the PSHE and Science curriculum and that it is an entitlement of every child.
· Parents are informed of their right to withdraw their child from part or the entire SRE programme except for those parts which fall within the statutory National Curriculum for Science.
· The PSHE & Science Subject Leaders monitor and evaluate SRE teaching and learning, and reviews and updates SRE policy and resources regularly.
* The teaching of the PSHE curriculum will be taught and planned by the class teacher and in some instances by highly experienced Teaching Assistant.
*All teachers and teaching assistants have regular ongoing training as part of the planned CPD programme.
*From September 2020 a working party will be formed to support the teaching, delivery and monitoring of the RSE programme across school. This group will consist of a Governor, member of SLT, PSHE lead, Teacher, Teaching assistant and parents. The working party will meet termly.
Legislation
Current regulations and guidance from the Department for Education state that we are required to teach relationships education as part of our PSHE programme and this informs our curriculum.
Our RSE policy supports the following policies …
Documents that inform our school’s RSE policy include:
*Education Act (1996) *Supplementary Guidance SRE for the 21st century (2014)
*Learning and Skills Act (2000) *Children and Social Work Act (2017)
*Education and Inspections Act (2006) *Equality Act (2010)
* Keeping children safe in education – Statutory safeguarding guidance (2016)
Safe and effective practice
From time to time, sensitive issues will be raised by pupils. It is important that all individuals concerned with the delivery of SRE in school are aware of the agreed values framework (see attitudes and values above). Parents and others should be reassured that the personal beliefs and attitudes of a teacher should not influence the teaching of SRE. The issues concerned may include contraception, abortion, safe sex, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, sexual identity or orientation, homophobic bullying and different families. It is important to acknowledge that pupils may hear these terms through different sources such as the media, and need to feel able to ask for further information. The response from the member of staff will be appropriate to the child’s age and maturity, and thought will be given to whether the response is appropriate in a class, small group or individual situation. The detailed lesson planning will clearly state the content that will be covered. Children may have questions that they do not feel comfortable asking in class, therefore, they will have the opportunity to ask them anonymously in question boxes placed in the classroom during these sessions. Questions will always be treated with respect and with a caring response. Staff and other adults will always be sensitive to underlying problems which may be worrying a child. The main guidelines in this situation are:
· be sensitive;
· is the context appropriate?
· is the question relevant to the content of the lesson?
· is the group ready in terms of maturity?
In such instances, teachers may answer a question with the response “We are not learning about this in Year… You may ask your Mum/Dad /carer when you get home. You will learn more about this in Year.. (if known). If staff have a concern, then parents may be contacted. Confidentiality: Staff should be clear about the boundaries of their legal and professional roles and responsibilities. They should be familiar with the procedures set out in the DfE document: ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ as stated in regular Safeguarding Training. Teachers cannot offer or guarantee absolute confidentiality. In certain circumstances a child may wish to confide in a trusted member of staff. They should be made aware before any disclosure that information may have to be passed on to the Designated Safeguarding Leader (DSL – Chris Minett or deputies, Dawn O’Hara, Tracy Haigh, Sara Wilkinson).
If there is a concern about the child’s safety, then teachers and the DSL should follow the guidelines in the Sheffield Safeguarding Policies adopted by the school.
Visitors and outside agencies who come to support the teaching of SRE are fully informed of our safeguarding protocols through pre-visit phone call and email and when they arrive in school.
Right of Withdrawal:
Parents do not have the legal right to withdraw from relationship education, however, they do have the right to withdraw their children from sex education sessions, except those elements taught as part of the National Curriculum Science. Any parent wishing to withdraw their child from the non- statutory part of sex education, should write to the headteacher via the school office, outlining their reasons for wanting to withdraw from these lessons.
Monitoring, reporting and evaluation
Staff will critically reflect on their work in delivering RSE lessons and will use the pupils pre and post assessment tasks as a form of assessment. These activities will help the pupils to review and reflect on their own learning during lessons. Pupil voice will be influential in adapting and amending planned learning activities. This will be done through pupil questionnaires and through pupil discussions with the PSHE lead.
RSE policy review date
This policy will be reviewed in Autumn 2, 2022. It will be reviewed by the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, PSHE lead and the Governing body. This will ensure it continues to meet the needs of pupils, staff and parents and that it is in line with current Department for Education advice and guidance.