Relationship and Sex Education Policy, and PSHE Policy 2025-2027

Statutory	Yes
Website	Yes
Last Review	April 2025
Next Review	April 2027
Reviewer	Miss G Brown
Governor Committee	Standards & Wellbeing
Ratified by BoG	19 May 2025

Aims
Statutory requirements
Policy development
Definition
Curriculum
Delivery of RSE
Roles and responsibilities
Parents’/Carers’ right to withdraw
Training
Monitoring arrangements

Appendix 1: Curriculum map

Appendix 2: RSE - By the end of secondary school pupils should know

Appendix 3: Parent/Carer form: withdrawal from sex education within RSE

1. Aims

The aims of relationships and sex education (RSE) at our school are to:

Equip pupils with the information, skills and values they need to have safe, respectful and enjoyable relationships; be able to successfully live in the wider world; ensure pupils’ health and wellbeing, and provide pupils with meaningful encounters related to careers and their future
Empower pupils to take responsibility for their sexual health and wellbeing
Provide a framework in which sensitive discussions can take place
Prepare pupils for puberty, and give them an understanding of sexual development and the importance of health and hygiene
Help pupils develop feelings of self-respect, confidence, resilience and empathy
Create a positive culture where diversity is respected and celebrated
Create a positive culture around issues of sexuality and relationships
Teach pupils the correct vocabulary to describe themselves and their bodies

This supports the Swanmore ethos which is based on treating young people as individuals and supporting them through their school career.

For pupils to achieve and progress, young people must feel safe, confident and have a sense of belonging and these are things we work constantly to nurture and encourage.

2. Statutory requirements

As a secondary school we must provide RSE to all pupils as per section 34 & 35 of the Children and Social work act 2017. Following statutory guidelines according to the DfE: Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk)

In teaching RSE, we are required by our funding agreements to have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State as outlined in section 403 of the Education Act 1996.

At Swanmore we teach RSE as set out in this policy.

3. Policy development

This policy has been developed in consultation with key stakeholders. The consultation and policy development process involved the following steps:

Review – a working group pulled together all relevant information including relevant national and local guidance
The policy has been shared with parents/carers and any interested parties have been invited to ask questions and send in feedback
All school staff have been given the opportunity to look at the policy and make recommendations
We will continue to review what pupils want from their RSE over the course of the next academic year
The final policy will be shared with governors and ratified.

4. Definition

RSE is about the emotional, social and cultural development of pupils, and involves learning about relationships, sexual health, sexuality, healthy lifestyles, diversity and personal identity.

RSE involves a combination of sharing information, and exploring issues and values. RSE is about encouraging pupils to be able to make informed choices.

RSE is not about the promotion of sexual activity.

5. Curriculum

Our curriculum is set out as per Appendix 1 but we may need to adapt it as and when necessary.

We have developed the curriculum taking into account the age, needs and feelings of pupils. If pupils ask questions outside the scope of this policy, teachers will respond in an appropriate manner so they are fully informed and don’t seek answers online without guidance.

6. Delivery of RSE

RSE is taught within the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum. This is delivered through timetabled PSHE/RSHE lessons in all year groups. Biological aspects of RSE are taught within the science curriculum, and other aspects are included in Religious Education (RE) lessons in all year groups.

Where the opportunity arises, pupils also receive stand-alone sex education sessions delivered by a trained health professional.

RSE focuses on giving young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds including:

Families
Respectful relationships, including friendships
Online and media
Being safe
- Consent
- Sexual harassment
- Discrimination
Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health

For more information about our RSE curriculum, see Appendices 1 and 2.

These areas of learning are taught within the context of family life taking care to ensure that there is no stigmatisation of children based on their home circumstances (families can include single parent families, LGBT parents, families headed by grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents/carers amongst other structures) along with reflecting sensitively that some children may have a different structure of support around them (for example: looked after children or young carers).

7. Roles and responsibilities

7.1 The Board of Governors

The Board of Governors will approve this policy and hold the Headteacher to account for the implementation of this policy.

7.2 The Headteacher

The Headteacher is responsible for ensuring that RSE is taught consistently across the school, and for managing requests to withdraw pupils from the non-statutory/non-science components of RSE (see section 8).

7.3 Staff

Staff are responsible for:

Delivering RSE in a sensitive way
Modelling positive attitudes to RSE
Monitoring progress
Responding to the needs of individual pupils
Responding appropriately to pupils whose parents/carers wish them to be withdrawn from the non-statutory/non-science components of RSE

Staff do not have the right to opt out of teaching RSE. Staff who have concerns about teaching RSE are encouraged to discuss this with the Headteacher.

7.4 Pupils

Pupils are expected to engage fully in RSE and, when discussing issues related to RSE, treat others with respect and sensitivity.

Pupil voice is used regularly to support the evaluation of the RSE programme to ensure pupil needs are met.

8. Parents’/Carers’ right to withdraw

Parents/Carers have the right to withdraw their children from the non-statutory/non-science components of sex education within RSE up to and until 3 terms before the child turns 16. After this point, if the child wishes to receive sex education rather than being withdrawn, the school will arrange this.

Requests for withdrawal should be put in writing using the form found in Appendix 3 of this policy and addressed to the Headteacher.

A copy of withdrawal requests will be placed in the pupil’s educational record. The Headteacher will discuss the request with parents/carers and take appropriate action.

Alternative work will be given to pupils who are withdrawn from sex education.

9. Training

Staff are trained on the delivery of RSE and it is included in our continuing professional development.

The school may also invite visitors from outside the school, such as school nurses or sexual health professionals, to provide support and training to staff teaching RSE.

10. Monitoring arrangements

The delivery of RSE is monitored by the Designated Safeguard Lead (DSL) & the Personal Development Lead through:

Learning walks and as part of our performance management structure (where appropriate).
Pupils’ development in RSE is monitored by teachers as part of our internal assessment systems.
This policy will be reviewed and approved by the Board of Governors annually.
Safeguarding
At the heart of the RSE programme is the aim of keeping our pupils safe.
All staff are trained annually in how to respond to any safeguarding concerns.

Appendix 1

Relationships and sex education curriculum map

Year 7

Theme	Topic	Description
Health & wellbeing	Transition and safety	Transition to secondary school and personal safety in and outside school, including first aid
Relationships	Diversity - Rainbow Day	Diversity, prejudice, bullying and Equality
Living in the wider world	Developing skills and aspirations	Careers, teamwork and enterprise skills, and raising aspirations
Health & wellbeing	Health and puberty	Healthy routines, influences on health, puberty, unwanted contact, and FGM
Living in the wider world	Financial decision making	Saving, borrowing, budgeting and making financial choices
Relationships	Building relationships	Self-worth, romance and friendships (including online) and relationship boundaries

Year 8

Theme	Topic	Description
Living in the wider world	Community and careers	Equality of opportunity in careers and life choices, and different types and patterns of work
Health & wellbeing	Emotional wellbeing	Mental health and emotional wellbeing, including body image and coping strategies
Living in the wider world	Digital literacy	Online safety, digital literacy, media reliability.
Health & wellbeing	Drugs, alcohol and addiction	Alcohol and drug misuse and pressures relating to drug use and gambling hooks
Relationships	Discrimination	Discrimination in all its forms, including: racism, religious discrimination, disability, discrimination, sexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia
Relationships	Identity and relationships	Gender identity, sexual orientation, consent, ‘sexting’, and an introduction to contraception

Year 9

Theme	Topic	Description
Health & wellbeing	Healthy lifestyle	Diet, exercise, lifestyle balance and healthy choices, and first aid
Relationships	Respectful relationships	Families and parenting, healthy relationships, conflict resolution, and relationship changes
Living in the wider world	Setting goals	Learning strengths, career options and goal setting as part of the GCSE options process
Health & wellbeing	Peer influence, substance use and gangs	Healthy and unhealthy friendships, assertiveness, substance misuse, and gang exploitation
Living in the wider world	Employability skills	Employability and online presence
Relationships	Intimate relationships	Relationships and sex education including consent, contraception, the risks of STIs, and attitudes to pornography

Year 10

Theme	Topic	Description
Health & wellbeing	Exploring influence	The influence and impact of drugs, gangs, role models and the media
Living in the wider world	Financial decision making	The impact of financial decisions, debt, gambling and the impact of advertising on financial choices
Relationships	Healthy relationships	Relationships and sex expectations, myths, pleasure and challenges, including the impact of the media and pornography
Health & wellbeing	Mental health	Mental health and ill health, stigma, safeguarding health, including during periods of transition or change
Living in the wider world	Work experience	Preparation for and evaluation of work experience and readiness for work
Relationships	Addressing extremism and radicalisation	Communities, belonging and challenging extremism

Year 11

Theme	Topic	Description
Health & wellbeing	Building for the future	Self-efficacy, stress management, and future opportunities
Relationships	Communication in relationships	Personal values, assertive communication (including in relation to contraception and sexual health), relationship challenges and abuse
Living in the wider world	Next steps	Application processes, and skills for further education, employment and career progression
Relationships	Families	Different families and parental responsibilities, pregnancy, marriage and forced marriage and changing relationships
Health & wellbeing	Independence	Responsible health choices, and safety in independent contexts

Appendix 2

RSE - By the end of secondary school pupils should know

Topic	Pupils should know
Families	That there are different types of committed, stable relationships How these relationships might contribute to human happiness and their importance for bringing up children 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 Why marriage is an important relationship choice for many couples and why it must be freely entered into The characteristics and legal status of other types of long-term relationships The roles and responsibilities of parents/carers with respect to raising of children, including the characteristics of successful parenting How to: determine whether other children, adults or sources of information are trustworthy: judge when a family, friend, intimate or other relationship is unsafe (and to recognise this in others’ relationships); and, how to seek help or advice, including reporting concerns about others, if needed
Respectful relationships, including friendships	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 Practical steps they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships 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) 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 About different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders to report bullying and how and where to get help That some types of behaviour within relationships are criminal, including violent behaviour and coercive control What constitutes sexual harassment and sexual violence and why these are always unacceptable The legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (particularly with reference to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010) and that everyone is unique and equal
Online and media	Their rights, responsibilities and opportunities online, including that the same expectations of behaviour apply in all contexts, including online 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 Not to provide material to others that they would not want shared further and not to share personal material which is sent to them What to do and where to get support to report material or manage issues online The impact of viewing harmful content 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 That sharing and viewing indecent images of children (including those created by children) is a criminal offence which carries severe penalties including jail How information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online
Being safe	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 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)
The Law	It is important to know what the law says about sex, relationships and young people, as well as broader safeguarding issues. This includes a range of important facts and the rules regarding sharing personal information, pictures, videos and other material using technology. This will help young people to know what is right and wrong in law, but it can also provide a good foundation of knowledge for deeper discussion about all types of relationships. There are also many different legal provisions whose purpose is to protect young people and which ensure young people take responsibility for their actions. Pupils should be made aware of the relevant legal provisions when relevant topics are being taught, including for example: marriage consent, including the age of consent violence against women and girls online behaviours including image and information sharing (including ‘sexting’, youth-produced sexual imagery, nudes, etc.) pornography abortion sexuality gender identity substance misuse violence and exploitation by gangs extremism and radicalisation criminal exploitation (for example, through gang involvement or ‘county lines’ drugs operations) hate crime female genital mutilation (FGM)
Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health	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 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 The facts about reproductive health, including fertility and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women That there are a range of strategies for identifying and managing sexual pressure, including understanding peer pressure, resisting pressure and not pressurising others That they have a choice to delay sex or to enjoy intimacy without sex The facts about the full range of contraceptive choices, efficacy and options available The facts around pregnancy including miscarriage 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) 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 About the prevalence of some STIs, the impact they can have on those who contract them and key facts about treatment How the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to risky sexual behaviour How to get further advice, including how and where to access confidential sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment

Appendix 3

Parent/Carer form: withdrawal from sex education within RSE

The withdrawal from sex education within RSE form can be found on the last page of this policy, attached as a PDF to this page below.

Tagged Policies

Relationship and Sex Education Policy 2025-2027

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Swanmore School