Relationships and Sex Education (RSHE)

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At Allestree Woodlands School, we believe that Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is a key opportunity to promote the themes of safety, equality and inclusion. We are committed to keep reflecting on and developing an RSHE curriculum that makes every pupil feel valued, by learning about themes that are important and age-appropriate for them.

Our RSHE curriculum is aimed at keeping all of our students well-informed and safe. We place a focus on consent, equality, challenging stereotypes and challenging sexism in RSHE lessons and encourage students to avoid ‘risky’ behaviour, in order to be a force for good in society.

  • Relationships Education: Learning about the physical, social, legal and emotional aspects of human relationships including friendships, intimate, sexual and committed relationships and family life.

    Sex Education: Learning about the physical, social, legal and emotional aspects of human sexuality and behaviour. This includes conception and contraception, safer sex, sexually transmitted infections and sexual health.

  • To cover the curriculum content, we will equip our pupils to build positive and respectful relationships online and offline. We seek to ensure that it gives pupils the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will help them to:

    • Be aware of their health (including sexual health) and wellbeing

    • Build self-esteem and self-worth

    • Explore and value their personal and sexual identity and the personal/sexual identities of others

    • Understand family structures, committed relationship

    • Understand and make sense of the real-life issues they are experiencing in the world around them

    • Manage and explore difficult feelings and emotions

    • Consider how their choices affect their own wellbeing and that of others

    • Develop as informed and responsible citizens

    • Understand and ensure the protection of their rights throughout their lives

  • RSHE is taught within the PSHE curriculum at AWS. These are weekly one-hour timetabled lessons across all year groups.

    In addition, biological aspects of RSHE (including menstruation and sexual reproduction) are taught within the science curriculum. This is a statutory requirement of the curriculum.

  • Parents do have the right to withdraw their children from the non-statutory components of sex education within PSHE/RSHE up to and until 3 terms before the child turns 16. When the child turns 15 years of age, the child can choose to receive sex education rather than being withdrawn.

    Requests for withdrawal should be put in writing to the Headteacher. The ‘opt-out’ form is found on this page. This should state the reasons for their request and which elements they wish to withdraw their child from. The Headteacher may delegate a member of the pastoral or PSHE team to discuss the request further where further clarification is needed.

Viewing sex education in RSHE lesson content and resources

In line with current legislation, parents can view the resources that we use in our sex education-specific lessons within PSHE. The resources from lessons classified as ‘sex education’ are found below and are updated as lesson content changes over time.
Parent and carers can also view these resources by contacting the Lead for PSHE, to book an in-school appointment.

Below are resources from lessons that are classified as ‘Sex Education’:

Leads for PSHE:
Mr J. Porter (KS3-KS4)
Mr A. Forsyth (KS5)

Teachers of PSHE:
Form Tutors

Documents you might find useful