Key Stage 3: RSHE
Curriculum Intent
The aim of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is to give young people the information they need to help them to develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds, not just intimate relationships. The curriculum enables them to know what a healthy relationship looks like and what makes a good friend, a good colleague and a successful marriage or other type of committed relationship. It covers contraception, developing intimate relationships and resisting pressure to have sex (and not applying pressure). RSHE teaches what acceptable and unacceptable behaviour within a relationship is. This will help pupils understand the positive effects that good relationships have on their mental wellbeing, identify when relationships are not right and understand how such situations can be managed. Effective RSHE does not encourage early sexual experimentation. The curriculum 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.
Pupils will be well informed about the full range of perspectives and, within the law, should be well equipped to make decisions for themselves about how to live their own lives, whilst respecting the right of others to make their own decisions and hold their own beliefs. The students will be taught what the law says about sex, relationships and young people in addition to safeguarding issues.
In Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) lessons the students will be taught about the following issues:
- Families
- Respectful relationships, including friendships
- Online and media
- Being safe
- Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health
In physical health and mental wellbeing lessons, the students will study the following topics:
- Mental wellbeing
- Internet safety and harms
- Physical health and fitness
- Healthy eating
- Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
- Health and prevention
- Basic first aid
- Changing adolescent body
Internet safety will be addressed as the pupils will be taught the rules and principles for keeping safe online. This will include how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact and how and to whom to report issues. Pupils will have a strong understanding of how data is generated, collected, shared and used online, for example, how personal data is captured on social media or understanding the way that businesses use data.
Pupils will learn about how to maintain an active lifestyle and keep physically and mentally healthy. They will have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and they will engage with views, beliefs and opinions that are different from their own in considered ways. They will learn about the protected characteristics as defined in law and understand that no forms of discrimination are tolerated.
Curriculum Overview
As a department, we recognise that RSHE has a significant part to play in preparing children and young people to deal effectively with the pressures and challenges that growing up in the 21st century presents in our own community and in the UK. The delivery of the content will be age appropriate and will build upon the knowledge and the skills developed in previous units and in previous academic years.
Relationships and Sex Education in Key Stage 3
Physical health and mental wellbeing in Key Stage 3
