Relationships Education and Relationship Sex Education (RE and RSE)

From September 2020 Relationships and Health Education will be a compulsory subject in primary school.

What do schools have to do:

All schools must have a written policy on how they plan to teach RE. They must make this policy available to all parents and on their school websites.

Schools must take into account religious backgrounds of all pupils when planning their teaching.

Essentially schools must ensure teaching and materials are to age and background of pupils.

What will my child be taught?

In Relationships Education, children will learn about subjects including families, friendships, relationships and being safe, including characteristics of healthy family life.

This covers varieties in family life, and how to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, the rules and principles for keeping safe online, and appropriate boundaries in peer friendships.

Children will learn about respecting others who may be different, how to understand if relationships are making them feel unhappy and how to seek help if needed. They will be taught how to report concerns or abuse and the vocabulary and confidence to do appropriately.

They will learn the benefits of exercise and being outdoors, look at community participation and also looking after themselves.

Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools. It is for primary schools to determine whether they need to cover any additional content on sex education, to that already covered in Relationships Education or as part of the science curriculum.

If you have questions or concerns talk to your school and ask what is being taught and how you as a parent can be prepared if a child starts asking questions at home.