Relationship Education
A Guide for Parents.
In July 2019, The Department of Education (DfE) published a document entitled Relationships Education,
Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, which outlines what schools must cover in
these subject areas from September 2020. (Then deferred until Summer 2021.) Parents can read this
statutory guidance on the Department for Education (DfE) website.
From September 2020, all schools in England will be required to teach Relationships and Health
Education. This is a statutory requirement for all primary, special and high schools and will include
independent schools, faith schools and academies. This guidance ensures consistency in what schools
deliver as part of this subject. It will also ensure a clear progression of the themes and topics throughout
primary school and into high school.
What will change for our school?
For the past three years, our school has been using the Chris Winters, RRS, and PHSE association
schemes of work to deliver comprehensive Relationships and Health Education. This scheme of work
already covers most of the objectives outlines in DfE's guidance, therefore very little of our curriculum
will need to be changed or updated. Anything we change will be shared with parents.
Change of title.
We will no longer call this subject Relationships and Sex Education; we will call it Health Relationships Education.
This change in title shifts the focus from sex education to positive, healthy friendships.
Why was this new guidance needed?
The current guidance schools use to teach Relationship and Sex Education was written in the year 2000,
therefore it is over 20 years old . The previous guidance was extremely outdated and did not cover
many of the topics which are very important for young people today, such as mental wellbeing and
online safety.
Right to withdraw
Many schools will continue to teach sex education (or human reproduction) as part of Science.
Sex Education will not be a statutory part of Health Relationships Education. Sex education is taught for one lesson in year 6 only which we at Springwell have decided to withdraw from teaching this year.
What topics are covered in Health Relationships Education (HRE)
There are 5 topics covered in Health Relationship Education;
• Families and people who care for me.
• Caring friendships.
• Respectful relationships.
• Online Relationship
• Being safe.
There are 8 topics covered in Health Education;
• Mental wellbeing.
• Internet safety and harms.
• Physical health and fitness,
• Healthy eating,
• Drugs alcohol and tobacco,
• Health and preventions,
• Basic first aid
• The changing adolescent body.
Lessons on the changing adolescent body begin at the end of Year 4 and continue in Year 5 and 6.
When are these lessons taught?
The main Relationship Education lessons including lessons on puberty Year 4,5,6 sex education (Year 6
only) are taught in the summer term.
Lessons about keeping safe, good and bad touch, people who help us, good friendships and peer
pressure are taught throughout the year. These lessons start in Reception and build each year so that
when children leave primary school. They will have a comprehensive understanding of healthy
friendships, growing up keeping safe, and where to seek help or advice if they are worried or scared.
Find out more
Our school is revisiting our current Relationship Education Policy to ensure it is in line with the statutory
guidance. This had been available on our website from December 2020.
We will also be holding workshops for parents prior to Health Relationships Education lessons beginning
in the summer term (2). During these on line workshops we will share the lesson plans and
resources we will be using to teach these lessons.
If you have any questions about Health Relationship Education , please make an appointment to speak
to Mrs Holmes or Mrs Bertulis