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Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) and Relationships Education (RE)
Understanding Relationships and Health Education - a guide for parents
All children have the right to grow up healthy, happy, safe and able to manage the challenges and opportunities of modern Britain. That is why all primary age children will be taught Relationships and Health Education.
These subjects are designed to equip your child with knowledge to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships as well as preparing them for a successful adult life. The world for all young people looks very differed from the way it did 20 years ago when this curriculum was last updated by the DfE - the current changes bring the content into the 21st century, so that it is relevant for your child.
It is important to note that many of the topics are already being taught across the curriculum, particulalry during PHSE, science and computing lessons, so the new requirements formalise expectations but don’t make significant changes to what we teach our pupils at Belvedere Infants.
Belvedere Infant School will deliver the content in a way that is age and developmentally appropriate and sensitive to the needs and religious backgrounds of our pupils.
Please note that the DfE have advised that due to COVID 19, the introduction of the new curriculum can be delayed until Summer 2021 (DfE guidance in June 2020)
By the end of primary education, that is by the end of year 6, pupils should know the following:
Families and people who care for me
Pupils should know:
- that families are important for children growing up because they can give love, security and stability
- the characteristics of healthy family life, commitment to each other, including in times of difficulty, protection and care for children and other family members, the importance of spending time together and sharing each other’s lives
- that others’ families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care
- that stable, caring relationships, which may be of different types, are at the heart of happy families, and are important for children’s security as they grow up
- that marriage represents a formal and legally recognised commitment of two people to each other which is intended to be lifelong
- how to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, and how to seek help or advice from others if needed
- Marriage in England and Wales is available to both opposite sex and same sex couples. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 extended marriage to same sex couples in England and Wales. The ceremony through which a couple get married may be civil or religious.
Caring friendships
Pupils should know:
- how important friendships are in making us feel happy and secure, and how people choose and make friends
- the characteristics of friendships, including mutual respect, truthfulness, trustworthiness, loyalty, kindness, generosity, trust, sharing interests and experiences and support with problems and difficulties
- that healthy friendships are positive and welcoming towards others, and do not make others feel lonely or excluded
- that most friendships have ups and downs, and that these can often be worked through so that the friendship is repaired or even strengthened, and that resorting to violence is never right
- how to recognise who to trust and who not to trust, how to judge when a friendship is making them feel unhappy or uncomfortable, managing conflict, how to manage these situations and how to seek help or advice from others, if needed
Respectful relationships
Pupils should know:
- the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs
- practical steps they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships
- the conventions of courtesy and manners
- the importance of self-respect and how this links to their own happiness
- 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 those in positions of authority
- about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders (primarily reporting bullying to an adult) and how to get help
- what a stereotype is, and how stereotypes can be unfair, negative or destructive
- the importance of permission-seeking and giving in relationships with friends, peers and adults
Online relationships
Pupils should know:
- that people sometimes behave differently online, including by pretending to be someone they are not
- that the same principles apply to online relationships as to face-to-face relationships, including the importance of respect for others online including when we are anonymous
- the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how to report them
- how to critically consider their online friendships and sources of information including awareness of the risks associated with people they have never met
- how information and data is shared and used online
Being safe
Pupils should know:
- what sorts of boundaries are appropriate in friendships with peers and others (including in a digital context)
- about the concept of privacy and the implications of it for both children and adults; including that it is not always right to keep secrets if they relate to being safe
- that each person’s body belongs to them, and the differences between appropriate and inappropriate or unsafe physical, and other, contact
- how to respond safely and appropriately to adults they may encounter (in all contexts, including online) whom they do not know
- how to recognise and report feelings of being unsafe or feeling bad about any adult
- how to ask for advice or help for themselves or others, and to keep trying until they are heard,
- how to report concerns or abuse, and the vocabulary and confidence needed to do so
- where to get advice, for example family, school or other sources
We have made sure that our new curriculum reflects:
- Our values of equality, inclusion and respect for all students and communities;
- Our students’ age and maturity levels, as well as their cultural and religious backgrounds;
- Every students’ learning needs; and
- What students need to know to be healthy and safe in school, in their personal relationships and in the wider world
As the PHSE/RSE curriculum has undergone a change, it is important that you, as parents and carers, were involved in a consultation process, we therefore sought your views
Parents and carers were invited to submit feedback and suggestions via the questionnaire below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3KngZuzP6q0b3aYE60AL2WmoZ-e9QvkMZZ9_i0jESTEdLqA/viewform
The consultation process ran until 12th May 2021
What is taught, and how, is ultimately a decision for the school and consultation does not provide a parental veto on curriculum content as schools are legally required to teach the Health Education curriculum and Relationship Education curriculum.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to provide further input or require further information on how we deliver PHSE at Belvedere Infant School.
Our PHSE/RHSE Curriculum Rationale
Below you will find our curriculum rationale for PHSE/RHSE which outlines the design of our curriculum and what we hope the children to achieve from their lessons in school.