High quality Relationships, Sex and Heath Education (RSHE) helps create safe school communities in which pupils can grow, learn, and develop positive, healthy behaviour for life. It is essential for the following reasons:

• Children and young people want to be prepared for the physical and emotional changes they undergo at puberty, and young people want to learn about relationships.
• RSHE plays a vital part in meeting schools’ safeguarding obligations. Ofsted is clear that schools must have a preventative programme that enables pupils to learn about safety and risks in relationships.
• Schools maintain a statutory obligation under the Children Act (2004) to promote their pupils’ wellbeing, and under the Education Act (1996) to prepare children and young people for the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities of adult life.

Effective RHSE at Primary level:

• Ensures children are prepared for puberty
• Helps to keep children safe
• Helps children critically evaluate the messages they get from the media and their friends
• Helps to develop well-rounded, confident, safe and happy children

The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 make Relationships and Health Education (RHE) compulsory for all pupils receiving primary education. 

The regulations also set out the rights of parents/carers to withdraw pupils from Sex Education but not from Relationships or Health Education. The DfE statutory guidance on Relationships and Health Education (RHE) and Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) can be found here – Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (PDF file on external website).

You can view our Relationships Education Policy including Sex Education Policy here: