Religious, Personal, Social, Health & Citizenship Education     (RPSHCE)

National Curriculum Science

Sex and Relationship Education is:

“Lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development.  It is about the understanding of the importance of marriage for family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care.  It is also about the teaching of sex, sexuality and sexual health.  It involves acquiring information, developing skills and forming positive beliefs, values and attitudes.  It is not about the promotion of sexual orientation or sexual activity”.

Sex and Relationship Education:

It is recognised that, as stated in DfEE Guidance, (”Sex and Relationship Education Guidance”, July 2000)

Sex and Relationship Education* has three main elements:

¨    Attitudes and values

¨    Personal and social skills

¨    Knowledge and understanding

Broadstone Middle School aims to develop all three elements in its Sex and Relationship programme as appropriate to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of its pupils.  It is recognised that the more sensitive issues need to be approached consistently across the school, teachers having agreed appropriate responses to children’s questions ahead of time.

* Referred to as SRE

Statutory Requirements

The school is mindful of its statutory obligation to:

i)       publish a Sex and Relationships Education Policy and make it available for inspection to parents;

ii)      ensure that all teaching materials used are appropriate to the age, religious and cultural backgrounds of its pupils;

iii)     teach all aspects of Sex Education included in the National Curriculum Science Orders (DfEE QCA 1999)

iv)     inform parents of their right to withdraw their children from SRE other than that taught in National Curriculum Science.

(1996 Education Act)

Working with Parents

Broadstone Middle School ensures that parents are aware of:

a)      the content and context of the SRE programme;

b)      their right to withdraw their children from SRE taught outside what is specified in the National Curriculum Science Orders;

c)      the process by which they can do this.

This is done by:

Written request to the Headteacher.

Organisation

SRE is taught in the context of the RPSHCE programme which itself fulfils the requirements of the national framework for RPSHCE.

The school is participating in the Healthy Schools Scheme and gains support for the development of RPSHCE through this.

SRE is taught:

a)      through National Curriculum Science and synchronised with this;

b)      through discrete RPSHCE lessons complemented by structured Circle Times.  (Boys and girls all receive the full SRE programme).  They are taught in mixed gender class groups throughout.

Staffing

¨    The Headteacher takes overall responsibility for the policy and its implementation.

¨    The Subject Leader for RP is responsible for implementing the SRE programme and for monitoring its effective delivery.

¨    The SRE Scheme of Work is delivered to each class group by teachers who have received guidance in this subject area.

¨    Recommended outside speakers are used as appropriate e.g. school nurse.

Schemes of Work

Broadstone Middle School follows the SRE Scheme of Work in the form of Rainbow (KS2) and Kaleidoscope (KS3), written and recommended by the PSHCE advisory teams from Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset.

The Scheme ensures –

• Progression and continuity
• Age appropriate content and resources

The scheme ensures that all pupils are taught:

Key Stage 2 – Changes

• How girls and boys bodies change during puberty
• The correct names for genital and reproductive parts of the female and male body
• An understanding of why bodies need to change into adulthood
• What menstruation means
• What sperm is and does
• An understanding of what sexual intercourse is and how babies are created

Key Stage 3 – Health Matters

• How we cope with physical change
• An understanding of the meaning of adolescence
• An understanding that physical change is natural
• How we use diet, exercise and cleanliness to keep healthy
• How emotional changes affect us
• An understanding of the possible consequences of a sexual relationship
• An understanding of how teenage pregnancy could affect lives

Within the Science curriculum a 10 lessons per year input ensures that pupils –

• Are able to make comparisons between animal and human courtship rituals
• Recognise diversity among various types of human families and challenge stereotypes
• Develop confidence in talking, listening and thinking about feelings in relationships
• Recognise that families and friends care for each other
• Are able to describe the physical and emotional changes at puberty and are able to deal with their feelings in a positive way
• Are able to compare and contrast human and plant reproduction
• Are able to describe changes which occur to mother and baby during pregnancy
• Recognise how science and technology can help couples who are having difficulty conceiving a baby

See Appendix 1 for the overview of the SRE Scheme of Work for each year group and Appendix 2 for the National Curriculum Science content.  The full scheme, including details of resources used, is available for inspection to parents in the school office.

Teaching Strategies

Broadstone Middle School recognises the importance of helping children develop confidence in talking, listening and thinking about sex and relationships.  Partnership between school and parents is the key to success.

A variety of teaching strategies is employed:

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Subject Leader for RP and Science Leader monitor and evaluate the delivery of SRE.

Confidentiality and Child Safeguarding

The SRE is subject to and evaluated against the NCS Schemes of Work and RP policy.

Dissemination of the Policy

This policy will be made available to:

¨    The Governing Body

¨    The whole school staff

¨    Parents

Date adopted by Governing Body:   May 2011            

Date available to parents:                  May 2011

Date to be reviewed:                           May 2012

Appendix 1

Overview of the Scheme of Work for Sex and Relationship Education for Years 5-8

Year 5 – 2 Lessons taught within a 6 lesson module entitled – ‘Changes’

Year 6 - 2 Lessons taught within a 6 lesson module entitled – ‘Changes’

Year 7 – 2 lessons taught within a 6 lesson module entitled – ‘Health Matters’

Year 8 – 2 lessons taught within a 6 lesson module entitled – ‘Health Matters’

Appendix 2

National Curriculum Science relevant to Sex and Relationship Education (Years 5-8)

Key Stage 2

Pupils  are  taught:

• about the main stages of the human life cycle (Sc2, 2f);

• about human reproduction (Sc2, 2a)

Key Stage 3

• Pupils are able to describe the main functions of plant and animal organs and use models to describe life cycles of humans and plants (AT2)
• Pupils describe the function and importance of specialised cells (AT2)

Key concepts :

• Pupils can describe the human reproductive cycle including adolescence, fertilisation and foetal development
• Pupils can explain how sexually transmitted infections can affect health (Year 8)