RSHE

High Well School specifically delivers Relationship, Sex and Health Education through its PPF curriculum and Science lessons through KS3 to KS4 and is in line with 2025 updates.

Much of the Relationship, Sex and Health Education at High Well School takes place within PPF lessons. Tutors generally deliver the PPF Curriculum with support from professionals where appropriate including Spectrum.

RSHE lessons are always age appropriate and are set within the wider context of the PPF curriculum, focusing more on the emotional aspects of development and relationships, although the physical aspects of puberty and reproduction are also included. The Science National Curriculum is delivered by staff in the science department. These lessons are more concerned with the physical aspects of development and reproduction, although the importance of relationships is not forgotten.

The PPF curriculum and Science National Curriculum are taught in every year.

Any RSHE lesson may consider questions or issues that some students will find sensitive. Before embarking on these lessons ground rules are established which prohibit inappropriate personal information being requested or disclosed by those taking part in the lesson. When students ask questions, we aim to answer them honestly, within the ground rules established at the start of the sessions. When it is felt that answering a specific question would involve information at a level inappropriate to the development to the rest of the students, the question may be dealt with individually at another time.

Relationship, Sex and Health Education in our school has the following main elements:

Relationships and Sex Education:

Intimate and sexual relationships: Developing healthy, respectful sexual relationships.

Consent and respect: Understanding consent, coercion, and challenging harassment or abuse.

Sexual health: Contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and safe practices.

Online safety and harms: Managing digital footprints, recognizing online abuse, grooming, pornography, and extreme content

Health Education:

Mental wellbeing: Recognising and managing emotions, happiness, and spotting signs of common mental health issues.

Physical health and fitness: Importance of exercise, healthy eating, and sleep.

The changing adolescent body: Understanding puberty and human development.

Drugs, alcohol and tobacco: Risks and effects associated with substance use.

Basic first aid: Fundamental medical responses like CPR or dealing with common injuries.

Right of withdrawal of students from relationship and sex education

Some parents / carers prefer to take the responsibility for aspects of this element of education. Unless there are exceptional circumstances parents will continue to have a right to request to withdraw their child from sex education delivered as part of RSE, except for those parts included in the National statutory Curriculum (i.e. in science lessons), from relationships education (including LGBTQ+ relationships), and health and wellbeing education. Withdrawal from these RSE lessons should be granted up to and including three terms before their child turns 16. At this point, if the child themselves wishes to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn, the school will make arrangements for this to happen in one of the three terms before the child turns 16 - the legal age of sexual consent. All requests to withdraw should be discussed with the class teacher and RSE Lead in order to understand the reasons behind the request, and to ensure that parents/carers fully understand the content that will be delivered to pupils before making this decision.

Following government updates to the RSE guidelines, there is no right to withdraw from Relationships or Health Education from September 2020 as the contents of these subjects – such as family, friendship, safety (including online safety), contraception and sexual health – are important for all children to be taught. Parents are encouraged to discuss their decisions with staff at the earliest opportunity. Parents are always welcome to review any RSE resources our school uses.