Relationships & Sex Education (RSE)
The Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) consultation took place between Thursday 2nd July 2020 and Thursday 9th July 2020
Please see the link for the completed responses: Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) survey responses
Dear Parents/carers,
As a part of your child’s educational experience at Lindridge St Lawrence CE Primary, we aim to promote personal wellbeing and development through a comprehensive taught programme of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education that gives children and young people the knowledge, under-standing, attitudes and practical skills to live healthy, safe, productive and fulfilled lives, both now and in the future.
As you may already be aware, the Department for Education has announced changes to relationships and sex education following nationwide consultation. These changes will come into effect from September 2020 and all schools will be required to comply with the updated requirements. The statutory guidance can be found at:
The new guidance focuses on healthy relationships and keeping children safe in the modern world. It also covers a wide range of topics relating to physical and mental health, wellbeing, safeguarding and healthy relationships.
Learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up will give children and young people the information, skills and positive values to have safe, fulfilling relationships and help them take responsibility for their own well-being.
Consequently, from September 2020, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), along with Health Education, will be statutory, and form part of the National Curriculum.
This means that we have been reviewing our Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education, which also includes our RSE curriculum and policy so we can be sure our RSE provision is appropriate for our pupils based on their:
• Age
• Physical and emotional maturity
• Religious and cultural backgrounds
• Special educational needs and disabilities
Whilst I am sure that there will be differences of opinion about this, we hope that consulting with you will help to inform our schools’ decisions on when and how certain content is covered, and enable us to reach a general consensus. Consequently, as part of our curriculum review we would your views on:
• Our draft policy for PSHE, including RSE
• When and how certain content within this subject is covered.
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 National Curriculum. The right to withdraw children from some lessons is explained in the FAQs which is on our website (details to the link below).
As school community we are currently in unprecedented times, which make it a little more challenging to consult with you. To help you understand the curriculum requirements, we have placed information on our website which we would encourage you to read. Part of this is a Presentation for Parents which we would ordinarily have shared with you in person, and another sheet which aims to respond to the questions that we have anticipated might be asked. On our website, we have included:
• A summary of what all pupils are expected to know by the end of primary school,
• A powerpoint presentation for parents
• FAQ sheet,
• Our proposed draft Policy for PSHE, including RSE
• DfE guidance which outlines statutory requirements.
• A link to the Consultation Questionnaire:
This can all be found on our school website in the Parents Section (Relationships & Sex Education (RSE) Consultation:
https://www.lindridgeschool.com/parents/relationships-sex-education-rse-consultation
Lindridge St Lawrence CE Primary School will be starting their consultation process on Thursday 2nd July 2020, the consultation will close on the Thursday 9th July 2020.
Consultation Questions (on the questionnaire).
1. Would you like support at home, on how to speak to your child about relationship and sex?
2. Are there any changes or additions that you think should be made to the PSHE/RSE Policy?
3. Are there any changes or additions that you think should be made to the PSHE/RSE Curriculum Outline?
4. Thinking about relationships and sex education, what do you believe is the most important subject area that should be taught for different age groups/key stages and why?
5. Thinking about relationships and sex education, is there an area that you think should not be taught for different age groups/key stages and why?
Your views are very important to us and we will respond to you regarding the outcome of this process later in the autumn term. Once we have considered all the feedback, the finalised PSHE (including RSE) Policy will be uploaded to the school’s website which will also set out the proposed curriculum.
I hope this letter and attached information goes some way to answer any questions you may have. If you have any queries or concerns regarding the consultation process, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Yours sincerely,
Amanda Greenow-Langford - Headteacher
Mrs Polly Montague - PSHE Lead/SENDCo