Relationships and Sex Education Policy

This policy was developed in conjunction with the Little Way Partnership (LWP) RSE Policy, National Healthy Schools Programme, ‘Talking about sex, sexuality and relationships’
Together for Shorter Lives, Clifton Diocese guidance for education in relationships and sex education in schools

Mission Statement
Working together to help each person flourish educationally and spiritually, to reach their full potential in a Christian community and believe in their worth as children of God.

St Rose’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and visitors to share the same commitment. We follow Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children’s Executive Procedures. For more information go to www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/gscp/

Little Ways Partnership (LWP) Consultation procedure
We have previously consulted parents virtually via an online presentation.
These are online and deemed as good practice by the DfE.
As a partnership we have worked together remotely to review the RSE curriculum and will continue to do so at meetings over the following years.
Virtual consultation with governors.

Defining relationships and Sex Education
The DfE guidance states that “children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way” .
1. It is about the development of the pupil’s knowledge and understanding of herself or himself as a sexual being, about what it means to be fully human, called to live in healthy relationships with self and others and being enabled to make moral decisions in conscience.
2. The focus will be on “teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and with adults.” This will include the topics of families and the people of who care for me, caring friendships, respectful relationships, online relationships and being safe.
3. In Secondary schools RSE should “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).”

STATUTORY CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS

We are legally required to teach those aspects of RSE which are statutory parts of National Curriculum Science.
Relationships Education must be part of a broad and balanced curriculum for St Rose’s school KS1 and 2.
Relationships and Sex Educations must be part of a broad and balanced curriculum for St Rose’s school KS 3, 4 and 5.
Health Education must be part of a broad and balanced curriculum for St Rose’s school
(There is also a separate requirement for maintained secondary schools to teach about HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, abortion, the age of consent and legislation relating to equality).
The statutory requirements do not apply to Further Education colleges, although the DfE encourages them to support students by offering these subjects and RSE and Health education is part of St Martin’s College PSHE curriculum.

However, the reasons for our inclusion of RSE go further.

RATIONALE

‘I HAVE COME THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL’
(Jn.10.10)

Following the guidance of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales and as advocated by the DfE, RSE will be firmly embedded in the PSHE framework as it is concerned with nurturing human wholeness and integral to the physical, spiritual, emotional, moral, social and intellectual development of students. It is centred on Christ’s vision of being human as good news and will be positive and prudent, showing the potential for development, while enabling the dangers and risks involved to be understood and appreciated.

RSE will be in accordance with the Church’s moral teaching. It will emphasise the central importance of marriage and the family whilst acknowledging that all students have a fundamental right to have their life respected whatever household they come from. It will also prepare all our students for life in modern Britain.

We recognise that parents and other carers who stand in their place, are the primary educators of their children. As a Catholic school we provide the principal means by which the Church assists parents and carers in educating their children.

Parents continue to have the right to withdraw their children from Sex education except in those elements which are required by the National Curriculum science orders.

VALUES AND VIRTUES
Our programme upholds Catholic values relating to the importance of stable relationships, marriage and family life. St Rose’s uses a combination of our PSD curriculum and the PinK Curriculum, and the Chailey Heritage resources to deliver PSD and RSE and St Rose’s values of respect, community, friendship, determination, compassion/kindness, courage, peace, resilience and hope. It also promotes those virtues which are essential in responding to God’s call to love others with a proper respect for their dignity and the dignity of the human body.

AIM OF RSE AND THE MISSION STATEMENT
Our Mission Statement commits us to the education of the whole child (spiritual, physical, intellectual, moral, social, cultural, emotional) and we believe that RSE is an integral part of this education. Furthermore, St Rose’s aims state that we will endeavour to raise students’ self-esteem, help them to grow in knowledge and understanding, recognise the value of all persons and develop caring and sensitive attitudes. It is in this context that we commit ourselves:
In partnership with parents, to provide children and young people with a “positive and prudent sexual education” which is compatible with their physical, cognitive, psychological, and spiritual maturity, and rooted in a Catholic vision of education and the human person.

Objectives

To develop the following attitudes and virtues:

• reverence for the gift of human sexuality and fertility;
• respect for the dignity of every human being – in their own person and in the person of others;
• joy in the goodness of the created world and their own bodily natures;
• responsibility for their own actions and a recognition of the impact of these on others;
• recognising and valuing their own sexual identity and that of others;
• celebrating the gift of life-long, self-giving love;
• recognising the importance of marriage and family life;
• fidelity in relationships.

To develop the following personal and social skills:

• making sound judgements and good choices which have integrity, and which are respectful of the individual’s commitments;
• loving and being loved, and the ability to form friendships and loving, stable relationships free from exploitation, abuse and bullying;
• managing emotions within relationships, and when relationships break down, with confidence, sensitivity and dignity;
• managing conflict positively, recognising the value of difference;
• cultivating humility, mercy and compassion, learning to forgive and be forgiven;
• developing self-esteem and confidence, demonstrating self-respect and empathy for others;
• building resilience and the ability to resist unwanted pressures, recognising the influence and impact of the media, internet and peer groups and so developing the ability to assess pressures and respond appropriately;
• assessing risks and managing behaviours in order to minimise the risk to health and personal integrity.

To know and understand:

• the Church’s teaching on relationships and the nature and meaning of sexual love;
• the Church’s teaching on marriage and the importance of marriage and family life;
• the centrality and importance of virtue in guiding human living and loving;
• the physical and psychological changes that accompany puberty;
• the facts about human reproduction, how love is expressed sexually and how sexual love plays an essential and sacred role in procreation;
• how to manage fertility in a way which is compatible with their stage of life, their own values and commitments, including an understanding of the difference between natural family planning and artificial contraception;
• how to keep themselves safe from sexually transmitted infections and how to avoid unintended pregnancy, including where to go for advice.

Outcomes
INCLUSION AND DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING
We will ensure RSE is sensitive to the different needs of individual students in respect of students’ different abilities, levels of maturity and personal circumstances; for example, their own sexual orientation, faith or culture and is taught in a way that does not subject students to discrimination. Lessons will also help children to realise the nature and consequences of discrimination, teasing, bullying and aggressive behaviours (including cyber-bullying), use of prejudice-based language and how to respond and ask for help.
Students with PMLD receive a program of RSE story lessons using the Chailey Heritage resources tolearn about Puberty, Relationships, Diversity and Safety in an age and cognition appropriate way.

EQUALITIES OBLIGATIONS
The governing body has wider responsibilities under the Equalities Act 2010 and will ensure that our school strives to do the best for all of the students, irrespective of disability, educational needs, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, pregnancy, maternity, sex, gender identity, religion or sexual orientation or whether they are looked-after children.

BROAD CONTENT OF RSE
Three aspects of RSE – attitudes and values, knowledge and understanding, and personal and social skills will be provided in three inter-related ways: the whole St Rose’s/ethos dimension; a cross-curricular dimension and a specific relationships and sex curriculum.

ORGANISATION
Our students will make progress through the curriculum based on their understanding and stage of emotional development. Teachers understand our students very well and will adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of our students using resources that support the development of their knowledge and skills.

From nursery age upward, questions from our nursery children and school students will always be answered on an individual basis. Children will be encouraged to be good friends and to love, care and respect each other. The positive value of this will be shown through the behaviour of the students and the way they show concern and friendship towards each other through stories, activities, drama and assemblies.

Across all key stages students will have specific lessons in RE and PSD which focus on the basic elements of the programme of self-awareness, gender awareness, body parts, recognition and privacy and relationship and sex education.

There will be times when gender groups need to work alone, and other times when students will be encouraged according to their development and maturity to discuss and share anxieties within mixed groupings.

A number of our students will require individual support and time will be made available to meet individual needs. Extra support and specialist resource material and teaching methods are available for our visually impaired students.

The Nursing team and Head of Care are an integral part of the team, not just for the students who are resident and therefore share anxieties and questions within a social environment, but also for day students who rely on our nursing team and care staff to help them with their physical needs, and also support and offer personal guidance.

No member of staff will be expected to undertake specific sex education teaching without the support of the PSD Curriculum Lead or without attendance at training courses, as necessary.

PROGRAMME/RESOURCES
The programme ‘Life to the full’ is split into 3 key modules:
Created and loved by God
• Me, my body and my health
• Emotional wellbeing
• Life cycles
Created to love others
• Personal relationships
• Keeping safe
Created to live in community
• Living in the wider world
See also APPENDIX A

Relationships and sex education Programme
RSE is lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance of stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care, for family life. It involves acquiring information, developing skills and forming positive beliefs, values and attitudes.
We intend that all our students experience a programme of personal development and sex education at a level which is commensurate with their age and physical, cognitive and emotional development. We use a sensory curriculum for students with PMLD.

The aim of the RSE programme is to provide balanced factual information about human reproduction, together with consideration of the broader emotional, ethical, religious, and moral dimensions of sexual health. Our RSE programme aims to prepare students for an adult life in which they can:

• Develop awareness of the physical self, how it functions and how changes occur over time.
• To provide students with practical strategies for self-management of body actions such as menstruation and erections, and related physical symptoms such as stomach cramps.
• To develop awareness of emotions and how they relate to behaviour of self and others.
• To develop understanding of how physical changes can affect emotional responses (female & male hormonal changes) and to help students to self-manage these.
• To develop awareness of the differing nature and levels of relationships and the codes of conduct relating to them.
• To develop awareness of codes of conduct governing sexual expression & sexuality, particularly in relation to understanding the concepts and implications of ‘public’ & ‘private’ behaviours.
• To develop an awareness of different ‘life choices’ with regard to transitions from school and home in relation to the development of relationships as part of a wider context.
• To help students to develop strategies for ‘keeping safe’ and for protecting themselves against exploitation or abuse.
• To have an understanding of the physical aspects of reproduction, contraception and sexual health as appropriate to age and cognitive ability of the individual student.
• Communicate effectively by developing appropriate terminology for relationship and sex issues.
• Develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgements and behaviour; have the confidence and self-esteem to value themselves and others and respect for individual conscience and the skills to judge what kind of relationship they want.
• Develop awareness of their sexuality and understand human sexuality;
• Be aware of sources of help and acquire the skills and confidence to access confidential health advice, support and treatment if necessary
• Know how the law applies to sexual relationships.

St Rose’s specifically delivers Relationships and Sex Education through its PSD Programme, RE and Science lessons at KS3, and KS4.
The PSD programme and science curriculum are taught in every year. There is full coverage of RSE within the curriculum. The PSD curriculum is updated regularly as a result of new resources or areas that have been highlighted for attention by government or local authority safeguarding bodies.

PARENTS AND CARERS
We recognise that parents and carers are the primary educators of their children. Parents/carers will be informed by letter when the more sensitive aspects of RSE will be covered in order that they can be prepared to talk and answer questions about their children’s learning.
Parents will be consulted about the development of the RSE programme, as well as during the process of monitoring, review and evaluation. They will be able to view the resources used by the school in the RSE and Health Education programme. Our aim is that, at the end of the consultation process, every parent and carer will have full confidence in the school’s RSE programme to meet their child’s needs.
Parents continue to have the right to withdraw their children from Sex Education (see APPENDIX A page 16 highlighted in green) except in those elements which are required by the National Curriculum science orders. Should parents wish to withdraw their children they are asked to notify the school by contacting the Principal.
We believe that the controlled environment of the classroom is the safest place for this curriculum to be followed.
At St Roses we celebrate different types of families. Through RSE, children will be taught to celebrate and value all love, to acknowledge and be understanding towards issues and attitudes around gender and sexual orientation in line with their age and stage of development.

BALANCED CURRICULUM
Whilst promoting Catholic values and virtues and teaching in accordance with Church teaching, we will ensure that students are offered a balanced programme by providing an RSE programme that offers a range of viewpoints on issues.
Students will also receive clear scientific information as well as covering the aspects of the law pertaining to RSE. (In secondary schools/academies relating to forced-marriage, female genital mutilation, abortion, the age of consent and legislation relating to equality.)
Knowing about facts and enabling young people to explore differing viewpoints is not the same as promoting behaviour and is not incompatible with our school’s promotion of Catholic teaching. We will ensure that students have access to the learning they need to stay safe, healthy and understand their rights as individuals.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR TEACHING THE PROGRAMME
Responsibility for the specific relationships and sex education programme lays with
• Louise Harper, the Interim Vice Principal
• Cherith Baxter-Steele, the RE Lead Teacher
• Teachers of RE
• Class teachers
• Science teachers

However, all staff will be involved in developing the attitudes and values aspect of the RSE programme. They will be role models for students of good, healthy, wholesome relationships as between staff, other adults and students. They will also be contributing to the development of students’ personal and social skills.

External Visitors

External visitors may be called upon to help and guide from outside agencies and health specialists to deliver aspects of RSE. Such visits will always complement the current programme and never substitute or replace teacher led sessions.
It is important that any external visitor is clear about their role and responsibility whilst they are in school delivering a session. Any visitor must adhere to our code of practice developed in line with CES guidance ‘Checklist for External Speakers to Schools’ and Ten Ten’s checklist for school visitors.

OTHER ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING RSE

Governors

• ratify the RSE policy as part of St Rose’s, in consultation with parents and teachers;
• ensure that the policy is available to parents and carers;
• ensure that the policy is in accordance with other whole school policies, e.g., SEND, the ethos of the school and our Christian beliefs;
• ensure that parents and carers know of their right to withdraw their children;
• establish a link governor to share in the monitoring and evaluation of the programme, including resources used;
• ensure that the policy provides proper and adequate coverage of relevant National Curriculum Science topics and the setting of RSE within RE and PSD.

Principal

The Principal takes overall delegated responsibility for the implementation of this policy and for liaison with the Governing Body, parents, and the Local Education Authority, also appropriate agencies.

PSD/RSE/PSD Lead

The subject lead with the Principal has a general responsibility for supporting other members of staff in the implementation of this policy and will provide a lead in the dissemination of the information relating to RSE and the provision of in-service training.

All Staff

RSE is a whole school issue. All staff have a responsibility of care; as well as fostering academic progress they should actively contribute to the guardianship and guidance of the physical, moral and spiritual well-being of their students. Teachers will be expected to teach RSE and Health education in accordance with the Catholic Ethos of the school. Appropriate training will be made available for all staff teaching RSE including child on child abuse and managing sexualised behaviour in schools. All staff should be aware of the policy and how it relates to them.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER POLICIES AND CURRICULUM SUBJECTS

This RSE policy is to be delivered as part of the PSD framework. It includes guidelines about student safety and is compatible with the school’s other policy documents (for example, Counter-bullying policy, Safeguarding Policy etc.)

Students with particular difficulties whether of a physical or intellectual nature will receive appropriately differentiated support in order to enable them to achieve mature knowledge, understanding and skills. Teaching methods will be adapted to meet the varying needs of this group of students.

Learning about RSE in PSD classes will link to and complement learning in other curriculum areas.

CHILDREN’S QUESTIONS

The governors want to promote a healthy, positive atmosphere in which RSE can take place. They want to ensure that students can ask questions freely, be confident that their questions will be answered, and be sure that they will be free from bullying or harassment from other children and young people.

Controversial or Sensitive issues

There will always be sensitive or controversial issues in the field of RSE. We acknowledge that there are many different family structures and forms of conception such as; IVF and IUI. These may also be matter of maturity, of personal involvement or experience of children, of disagreement with the official teaching of the Church, of illegal activity or other doubtful, dubious or harmful activity. During

these lessons, where questions arise, they will be dealt with sensitively and discreetly. The Governors believe that children are best educated, protected from harm and exploitation by discussing such issues openly within the context of the RSE programme. The use of ground rules, negotiated between teachers and students, will help to create a supportive climate for discussion.
(See also Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education 2019, Managing difficult questions, Page 23 of the DfE Statutory guidance for more detail)
Some questions may raise issues which it would not be appropriate for teachers to answer during ordinary class time, e.g., where a child or young person’s questions hints at abuse, is deliberately controversial or is of a personal nature.

SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK

Children will also need to feel safe and secure in the environment in which RSE takes place. Effective RSE will provide opportunities for discussion of what is and is not appropriate in relationships. Such discussion may well lead to disclosure of a safeguarding issue. Teachers will need to be aware of the needs of their students and not let any fears and worries go unnoticed. Where a teacher suspects that a child or young person is a victim of or is at risk of abuse they are required to follow the school’s safeguarding policy and immediately inform the designated senior member of staff responsible.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND ADVICE

All governors, all teachers, all support staff, all parents and all students must be made aware of this policy, particularly as it relates to issues of advice and confidentiality.

All lessons, especially those in the RSE programme, will have the best interests of students at heart, enabling them to grow in knowledge and understanding of relationships and sex, developing appropriate personal and social skills and becoming appreciative of the values and attitudes which underpin the Christian understanding of what it means to be fully human.

Students will be encouraged to talk to their parents/carers about the issues which are discussed in the programme. Teachers will always help students facing personal difficulties, in line with the school’s pastoral care. Teachers should explain to students that they cannot offer unconditional confidentiality, in matters which are illegal or abusive for instance, in line with the school’s safeguarding procedures. Teachers will explain that in such circumstances they would have to inform others, e.g., parents, head teacher, but that the students would always be informed first that such action was going to be taken.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

In liaison with the LWP cluster, the RSE/PSD/RE Leads will monitor the provision of the various dimensions of the programme by examining plans, schemes of work and samples of students work at regular intervals. The programme will be evaluated biannually by means of questionnaires / response sheets / needs assessment given to students, and / or by discussion with students, staff and parents. The results of the evaluation should be reported to these groups of interested parties and their suggestions sought for improvements. Governors will consider all such evaluations and suggestions before ratifying the amended policy. Governors remain ultimately responsible for the policy.

This Policy Statement is considered part of the Terms and Conditions of Employment for all staff at St Rose’s

APPENDIX A
Resources
The most valuable resource in the education of our students is to be found in the understanding, experience, skills and creativity of our staff. We also appreciate that many everyday objects and opportunities can be used in the teaching programme. The resources used in our programme are listed below:

• Life to the full scheme of work (see below)
• St Rose’s PSD Curriculum
• Gloucestershire Healthy Learning and Living(GHLL)
• Give and Get (GHLL)
• Pink Curriculum (GHLL)
• Living your life
• Resource list provided in Clifton Diocese Guidance for Education in Relationships and Sex Education in Schools
• Chailey Heritage

Teaching strategies will include:
• establishing ground rules
• discussion
• project learning
• reflection
• experiential
• film & video
• group work
• role-play
• values clarification
• assessment tasks, which build on prior learning
As well as:-
• sensory curriculum
• attention autism
• TEEACH activities

In addition the DfE states that teaching about mental wellbeing should be central and should be complemented by the development of personal attributes including kindness, integrity, generosity and honesty.
RSE is lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance of stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care, for family life. It involves acquiring information, developing skills and forming positive beliefs, values and attitudes.
We intend that all students shall experience a programme of personal development and sex education at a level which is commensurate with their age and physical, cognitive and emotional development. We use a sensory curriculum for students with PMLD.
The aim of the RSE programme is to provide balanced factual information about human reproduction, together with consideration of the broader emotional, ethical, religious, and moral dimensions of sexual health. Our RSE programme aims to prepare students for adult life.