Relationship, sex and health education

The world for young people today looks very different from the way it did 20 years ago. Much of our lives are now spent online. This provides a lot of positive and exciting opportunities for young people, but also challenges and risks. Children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy in this new environment.

From September 2020 it will be compulsory for:

• Primary schools to teach health and relationships education
• Secondary schools to teach health, relationships and sex education. Before this decision was made, there was thorough engagement with parents, young people and schools, with over 23,000 responses. There was also a public consultation where over 40,000 people contacted the Department for Education.

In primary schools, Relationships Education will teach about positive and safe relationships. Children will be taught what a relationship is, what friendship is, what family means, and who can support them. In an age-appropriate way, children will learn about how to treat each other with kindness, consideration and respect.

Health Education aims to give children the information they need to:

• make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing,
• recognise issues in themselves and others, and
• seek support as early as possible when issues arise Teaching about mental wellbeing is central to Relationships and Health education.

Sex education in Primary schools

Sex education will not be not compulsory in primary schools. However, the Department for Education recommends that each primary school offer age-appropriate sex education.

Primary schools that choose to teach sex education must allow parents the right to withdraw their children from any lessons that go beyond the national science curriculum.

At secondary level, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) will build on the teaching from primary. It aims to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds. It will cover what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like and what makes a good friend, colleague and successful marriage or committed relationship. At the appropriate time, the focus will move to developing intimate relationships, to equip young people with the knowledge they need to make safe, informed and healthy choices as they progress through adult life.

Health education in secondary schools will develop from primary level by looking in more detail at risk areas such as drugs and alcohol.

Effective RSE does not encourage early sexual experimentation. It should teach young people to understand human sexuality and to respect themselves and others. It enables young people to mature, build their confidence and self-esteem and understand the reasons for delaying sexual activity. Effective RSE also supports people throughout life to develop safe, fulfilling and healthy sexual relationships at the appropriate time.

Teaching about mental wellbeing is central to Relationship and Sex Education.

Respecting backgrounds and beliefs

Schools are able to decide how to teach RSE but there are guidelines saying that it should be age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate. It must be taught sensitively and inclusively, respecting the backgrounds and beliefs of pupils and parents. At the same time, it aims to provide pupils with the knowledge they need of the law.

Relationship Education Policies

From September 2020, schools will be legally required to have their Relationship Education Policy available on their website. This will outline what that individual school will teach, when and how.

You can find a short two-page guide with more information on what’s being taught in primary and secondary schools on Gov.Uk. The guides are also available in Arabic, Somali and Urdu.

Download the detailed guides about what your child should know about:

• relationships and health when leaving primary school
• relationships, sex and health when leaving secondary school

From September 2020, schools are required to engage with parents around their Relationship Education Policy. This means they’ll share their policy with you and you have the ability to feedback on what you think of it. The school will look at all the comments it receives and decide whether any amends to the policy are required.

This engagement process doesn’t mean that parents automatically have the right to get content removed from the policy. However, schools will need to show that they’ve carefully considered the feedback received and made reasonable decisions about what changes can be made.

Parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from sex education classes delivered as part of statutory RSE. Parents can only request this until three terms before the child turns 16. After this point, if the child wishes to receive sex education, the school should arrange to provide classes.

If you make a request to withdraw your child, the headteacher may discuss this request with you and your child/children. The aim is to understand what your concerns are and whether there is a way for you to be comfortable with your child staying in these classes.

Relationships education is compulsory in all schools in England.

Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education must be accessible for all pupils. It may be necessary to adjust the content and teaching to meet the needs of pupils in special schools and for some SEN pupils in mainstream schools.

Schools will need to make sure that their teaching is sensitive, age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate and refer to the law.

In all schools, pupils’ religious background must be considered so that the topics covered in RSE classes are handled appropriately. Schools need to make sure they follow the Equality Act 2010 about the protection of religion or belief.

Relationships Education is delivered best with the cooperation and support of parents.

The libraries in Portsmouth have a good selection of books. Library staff will be happy to find and recommend books to help you and your child learn about health and RSE. The library in your child’s school may also have some good books and recommendations.

These are some websites that you might also find useful to look at with your child/children:

• Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) – Friendships
• Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) – Sex and Relationships
• Healthier Together – Health for Young People
• The Mix – Essential Support for Under 25s
• Every Mind Matters
• Safe4me – Parents