PSHE and RSE
If you have any questions regarding our PSHE curriculum please contact Carys Smith - carys.smith@bcsglt.co.uk. If you have any questions regarding the RSE curriculum please contact Michael Smith - michael.smith@bcsglt.co.uk or call on 01296 488331.
Intent
At Bearbrook, personal, social and health economic education (PSHE) enables our children to become healthy, independent, resilient and responsible members of an ever-changing society. This develops the whole child emotionally, intellectually, morally, socially and spiritually. We provide our children with opportunities to learn about rights and responsibilities and preparing them for life and work in the modern world. Through our whole-school approach to PSHE, it is our belief that excelling in these areas will lead to excellence across the curriculum. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider world.
The curriculum will demonstrate appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding to fulfil the duties of the PSHE curriculum including, Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (HE) whereby schools must provide a ‘balanced and broadly-based curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils.'
Relationships and Sex Education
We aim to deliver a high-quality Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum that promotes the well-being, safety, and healthy development of all pupils. RSE has been a statutory part of the PSHE curriculum for primary schools since September 2020. Whilst it is not statutory for primary schools to provide Sex education in PSHE, we teach Sex education in an age-appropriate manner to Year 6 pupils in the summer term.
RSE is taught from Year 1 up to Year 6 and follows the Family Planning Association (FPA) programme of learning ‘Growing Up with Yasmine and Tom’. This program reflects the recent developments in RSE and the Science National Curriculum and has been quality assured by the PSHE Association. The resources in the FPA scheme are age and developmentally appropriate. This interactive, story-based program forms a core part of our RSE curriculum. It provides pupils with animated scenarios that cover topics such as:
- Understanding friendships, emotions, and respect (in early years).
- Learning about body changes, personal boundaries, and consent (in later years).
- Discussing online safety, privacy, and responsible decision-making.
The "Yasmine and Tom" characters help bring these sensitive topics to life, presenting them in a way that is accessible and engaging for primary-aged children. Each lesson is carefully aligned to developmental stages and allows children to explore these issues in a fun and safe environment.
When teaching RSE, we focus on:
- Safeguarding and keeping children safe.
- Teaching children about diverse, healthy and respectful relationships, friendships, and family life.
- Provide age-appropriate information about growing up, body changes, and personal boundaries.
- Foster self-esteem and resilience, encouraging children to make informed choices that protect their physical and emotional health.
- Promote the understanding of consent, privacy, and safety, both online and offline.
- Ensure all pupils understand the importance of mutual respect, tolerance, and empathy within relationships, fostering an inclusive environment that reflects the diversity of our school community.
Bearbrook recognises the essential role of parents and carers in shaping children’s understanding of relationships and sex. We communicate openly with parents about our RSE curriculum, provide opportunities for parental input, and ensure they are informed about what their children are learning. Since Sex education is not statutory for primary schools, parents and carers do have the right to withdraw their child from these lessons.
The statutory guidance can be found in the link below:
For more information about the FPA program ‘Growing Up with Yasmine and Tom’ can be found below:
https://www.fpa.org.uk/rshe-for-parents/