Relationships & Sex Education
Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)
At St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is taught throughout the year from Reception to Year 6. It is rooted in Catholic teaching and in our mission: "With Christ as our guide, we love, aspire and serve." We teach children that every person is made in the image and likeness of God and has dignity and worth.
Who Is Responsible
Our governing body approves our RSHE policy and holds the headteacher to account for how it is taught. The headteacher makes sure RSHE is taught consistently across the school. Senior leaders check the quality of teaching through learning walks, looking at planning and children's work, and asking for the views of pupils and staff. Our staff receive training so that they can teach RSHE sensitively and with confidence.
Our Programme
The main programme for relationships and sex education is Journey in Love. It is recommended by the Archdiocese of Liverpool and approved by the bishops of England. It helps children understand that they are uniquely created and loved by God, and explores family, friendship, community and growing up in the light of that love.
Our PATHS programme supports children's social and emotional learning, including relationships and mental wellbeing. Health education is taught through Personal Development lessons and supported by Science and PE.
What Children Learn
Each year group explores a theme in Journey in Love, looking at it in three ways during the year: emotionally, physically and spiritually.
| Year | Theme | What Children Explore |
|---|---|---|
| Reception | The wonder of being special and unique | We are all different and unique, and special in God's family |
| Year 1 | We meet God's love in our family | How we are loved, cared for and kept safe in our families |
| Year 2 | We meet God's love in the community | Belonging to a diverse community and being safe in it |
| Year 3 | How we live in love | What makes friendships happy and safe, and how to repair them when they break down |
| Year 4 | God loves us in our differences | Accepting and respecting difference in our diverse society |
| Year 5 | God loves us in our changing and developing | Emotional and physical changes as we grow, including puberty |
| Year 6 | The wonder of God's love in creating new life | Stable, caring relationships at the heart of families, how human life is conceived, and how being made in God's image guides our decisions and relationships |
Working in Partnership with Parents
Parents and carers are the first and most important educators of their children in relationships and values. We want you to know what your children are learning. You are welcome to look at the resources we use and to talk to your child's class teacher.
Parents cannot withdraw their child from Relationships Education or Health Education, which are statutory. Parents do have the right to request that their child is withdrawn from sex education, other than the parts taught in National Curriculum Science. In our school, this applies to Year 6, when children learn how human life is conceived. If you would like to discuss this, please contact the school office.
