RSE & Health Education

We want all children to grow up healthy, happy, safe, and able to manage the challenges and opportunities of modern Britain. That is why, from September 2020, all primary age children will be taught Relationships and Health Education and all secondary age children will be taught Relationships, Sex and Health Education

These subjects are designed to equip your child with knowledge to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships as well as preparing them for a successful adult life. The world for all young people looks very different from the way it did 20 years ago when this curriculum was last updated – these changes bring the content into the 21st century, so that it is relevant for your child.

RSE & Health Education at Primary

The focus in primary school should be on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and with adults.

By the end of primary school pupils will have been taught content on:

Relationships Education

families and people who care for me
caring friendships
respectful relationships
online relationships
being safe

Health Education

mental wellbeing
internet safety and harms
physical health and ftness
healthy eating
facts and risks associated with drugs, alcohol and tobacco
health and prevention
basic first aid
changing adolescent body

Please find more information below on the key areas:

Families and people who care for me

Pupils should know

that families are important for children growing up because they can give love, security and stability.
the characteristics of healthy family life, commitment to each other, including in times of difficulty, protection and care for children and other family members, the importance of spending time together and sharing each other’s lives.
that others’ families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care.
that stable, caring relationships, which may be of different types, are at the heart of happy families, and are important for children’s security as they grow up.
that marriage represents a formal and legally recognised commitment of two people to each other which is intended to be lifelong.
how to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, and how to seek help or advice from others if needed.

Caring friendships

Pupils should know

how important friendships are in making us feel happy and secure, and how people choose and make friends.
the characteristics of friendships, including mutual respect, truthfulness, trustworthiness, loyalty, kindness, generosity, trust, sharing interests and experiences and support with problems and difficulties.
that healthy friendships are positive and welcoming towards others, and do not make others feel lonely or excluded.
that most friendships have ups and downs, and that these can often be worked through so that the friendship is repaired or even strengthened, and that resorting to violence is never right.
how to recognise who to trust and who not to trust, how to judge when a friendship is making them feel unhappy or uncomfortable, managing conflict, how to manage these situations and how to seek help or advice from others, if needed. Respectful relationships Pupils should know
the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs.
practical steps they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships.
the conventions of courtesy and manners.
the importance of self-respect and how this links to their own happiness.
that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including those in positions of authority.
Marriage in England and Wales is available to both opposite sex and same sex couples. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 extended marriage to same sex couples in England and Wales. The ceremony through which a couple get married may be civil or religious.
about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders (primarily reporting bullying to an adult) and how to get help.
what a stereotype is, and how stereotypes can be unfair, negative or destructive.
the importance of permission-seeking and giving in relationships with friends, peers and adults.

Online relationships

Pupils should know

that people sometimes behave differently online, including by pretending to be someone they are not.
that the same principles apply to online relationships as to face-toface relationships, including the importance of respect for others online including when we are anonymous.
the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how to report them.
how to critically consider their online friendships and sources of information including awareness of the risks associated with people they have never met.
how information and data is shared and used online.

Being safe

Pupils should know

what sorts of boundaries are appropriate in friendships with peers and others (including in a digital context).
about the concept of privacy and the implications of it for both children and adults; including that it is not always right to keep secrets if they relate to being safe.
that each person’s body belongs to them, and the differences between appropriate and inappropriate or unsafe physical, and other, contact.
how to respond safely and appropriately to adults they may encounter (in all contexts, including online) whom they do not know.
how to recognise and report feelings of being unsafe or feeling bad about any adult.
how to ask for advice or help for themselves or others, and to keep trying until they are heard.
how to report concerns or abuse, and the vocabulary and confidence needed to do so.
where to get advice e.g. family, school and/or other sources.

RSE & Health Education at Secondary

The aim of RSE is to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds, not just intimate relationships. It should enable 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 should also cover contraception, developing intimate relationships and resisting pressure to have sex (and not applying pressure). It should teach what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in relationships. 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.

By the end of secondary school pupils will have been taught content on

Relationships and Sex Education

families
respectful relationships, including friendships
online media
being safe
intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health

Health Education

mental wellbeing
internet safety and harms
physical health and ftness
healthy eating
drugs, alcohol and tobacco
health and prevention
basic first aid
changing adolescent body

Please find more information below on the key areas. Schools continue to develop knowledge on topics specified for primary as required and in addition cover the following content by the end of secondary:

Families

Pupils should know

that there are different types of committed, stable relationships.
how these relationships might contribute to human happiness and their importance for bringing up children.
what marriage is, including their legal status e.g. that marriage carries legal rights and protections not available to couples who are cohabiting or who have married, for example, in an unregistered religious ceremony.
why marriage is an important relationship choice for many couples and why it must be freely entered into.
the characteristics and legal status of other types of long-term relationships.
the roles and responsibilities of parents with respect to raising of children, including the characteristics of successful parenting.
how to: determine whether other children, adults or sources of information are trustworthy: judge when a family, friend, intimate or other relationship is unsafe (and to recognise this in others’ relationships); and, how to seek help or advice, including reporting concerns about others, if needed.

Respectful relationships, including friendships

Pupils should know

the characteristics of positive and healthy friendships (in all contexts, including online) including: trust, respect, honesty, kindness, generosity, boundaries, privacy, consent and the management of conflict, reconciliation and ending relationships. This includes different (non-sexual) types of relationship.
practical steps they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships.
how stereotypes, in particular stereotypes based on sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability, can cause damage (e.g. how they might normalise non-consensual behaviour or encourage prejudice).
that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including people in positions of authority and due tolerance of other people’s beliefs.
about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders to report bullying and how and where to get help.
that some types of behaviour within relationships are criminal, including violent behaviour and coercive control.
what constitutes sexual harassment and sexual violence and why these are always unacceptable.
the legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (particularly with reference to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010) and that everyone is unique and equal.

Online and media

Pupils should know

their rights, responsibilities and opportunities online, including that the same expectations of behaviour apply in all contexts, including online.
about online risks, including that any material someone provides to another has the potential to be shared online and the difficulty of removing potentially compromising material placed online.
not to provide material to others that they would not want shared further and not to share personal material which is sent to them.
what to do and where to get support to report material or manage issues online.
the impact of viewing harmful content.
that specifically sexually explicit material e.g. pornography presents a distorted picture of sexual behaviours, can damage the way people see themselves in relation to others and negatively affect how they behave towards sexual partners.
that sharing and viewing indecent images of children (including those created by children) is a criminal offence which carries severe penalties including jail.
how information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online.

Being safe

Pupils should know

the concepts of, and laws relating to, sexual consent, sexual exploitation, abuse, grooming, coercion, harassment, rape, domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based violence and FGM, and how these can affect current and future relationships.
how people can actively communicate and recognise consent from others, including sexual consent, and how and when consent can be withdrawn (in all contexts, including online).

Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health

Pupils should know

how to recognise the characteristics and positive aspects of healthy one-to-one intimate relationships, which include mutual respect, consent, loyalty, trust, shared interests and outlook, sex and friendship.
that all aspects of health can be affected by choices they make in sex and relationships, positively or negatively, e.g. physical, emotional, mental, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing.
the facts about reproductive health, including fertility, and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women and menopause.
that there are a range of strategies for identifying and managing sexual pressure, including understanding peer pressure, resisting pressure and not pressurising others.
that they have a choice to delay sex or to enjoy intimacy without sex.
the facts about the full range of contraceptive choices, efficacy and options available.
the facts around pregnancy including miscarriage.
that there are choices in relation to pregnancy (with medically and legally accurate, impartial information on all options, including keeping the baby, adoption, abortion and where to get further help).
how the different sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDs, are transmitted, how risk can be reduced through safer sex (including through condom use) and the importance of and facts about testing.
about the prevalence of some STIs, the impact they can have on those who contract them and key facts about treatment.
how the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to risky sexual behaviour.
how to get further advice, including how and where to access confidential sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment