Sex and Relationship Education Policy

East Wichel Community Primary School and Nursery
Sex and Relationship Education Policy (SRE)

Definition of Sex and Relationship Education
‘SRE is lifelong learning process of acquiring information, developing skills and forming positive beliefs and attitudes about sex, sexuality, relationships and feelings’ (Sex Education Forum, 1999).
Effective SRE can make a significant contribution to the development of the personal skills needed by pupils if they are to establish and maintain relationships. It also enables children and young people to make responsible and informed decisions about their health and well-being.
Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) in schools, is a legal requirement.

 

Aims and purpose
At East Wichel Community Primary School & Nursery we believe that confidence and self-esteem are at the heart of effective SRE, building foundations for sexual and emotional health from an early age.
We aim to help children appreciate the value of family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care.
We recognise that parents/carers are key people to help children cope with the physical and emotional aspects of growing up and we aim to compliment and support this role.
We aim to teach pupils about sex, sexuality and sexual health and help children appreciate the value of marriage for family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care. It is not about the promotion of sexual orientation or sexual activity. Issues of religion, cultural difference and ethnicity will be dealt with sensitively. An atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance will be encouraged.
We will:

• Provide children with a foundation of basic physical, emotional, health and social information about themselves and others
• Build self-esteem and confidence
• Prepare children for the emotional and physical changes ahead of them
• Provide them with the skills to ask for help and to know when and to whom they should do this
• Provide them with the skills to help keep themselves safe from unwanted or abusive attention
• Provide them with the language and the confidence to discuss sexual matters with an appropriate adult
• Reduce prejudice and stereotyping
• Equip children with communication and decision-making skills
• Develop relationship skills

 

Provision
At East Wichel Community Primary School and Nursery we will use the Jigsaw scheme of work to deliver the SRE curriculum. The grid on Appendix 1 shows specific learning intentions for each year group.

Monitoring and Evaluation
The PSHE Leader will monitor the delivery of the programme through observation and discussion with teaching staff to ensure consistent and coherent curriculum provision.
Evaluation of the programmes effectiveness will be conducted on the basis of:

• Pupil and teacher evaluation of the content and learning processes
• Staff meetings to review and share experience

 

Assessment
Teachers will be eager to ensure children are making progress with their learning throughout their Jigsaw experience. Therefore, each Puzzle (except Puzzle 1) has a built-in assessment task, usually in piece 5 or 6. This task is the formal opportunity for teacher assessment, but also offers children the chance to assess their own learning and have a conversation with the teacher about learning. The task can usually be used as evidence in the Jigsaw Journal.

Each Puzzle has a set of three level descriptors for each year group:

• Working towards
• Working at
• Working beyond

 

It is envisaged that, at the beginning of a Puzzle, children will be given the ‘My Jigsaw Learning Record’ for that Puzzle, so that it is clear to them what they are aiming to achieve. They stick this into their Jigsaw Journal. After completion of the assessment task, the teacher and the child return to the ‘My Jigsaw Learning Record’ and the child colours in the attainment descriptor they think they have achieved. The teacher does the same and facilitates a conversation with the child about their learning progress for that Puzzle. They both complete the evaluation boxes on the child’s learning record, focusing on how progress could be made in the next Puzzle.

Withdrawal from SRE lessons
It is important to note that the SRE at our school sits within the school’s values framework and that we consider it vital to do this work in partnership with parents and carers. We are mindful that parents/carers do have the legal right to withdraw their child from the SRE that is part of PSHE (Jigsaw) Programme, whilst we hope they do not feel the need to do so.

Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from all or part of the Sex and Relationship Education provided at school except for those parts included in statutory National Curriculum Science. Those parents/carers wishing to exercise this right are invited in to see the class teacher, head teacher or SRE subject leader who will explore any concerns and discuss any impact that withdrawal may have on the child. Once a child has been withdrawn they cannot take part in the SRE programme until the request for withdrawal has been removed.

Equal Opportunities
Young people may have varying needs regarding SRE depending on their circumstances and background. The school strongly believes that all pupils should have access to SRE that is relevant to their particular needs. To achieve this, the school will take into account:

• Ethnic and cultural diversity
• Varying home backgrounds
• Sexuality
• Special Education needs
• Ensure that a male and female adult is present to support the sessions

 

Confidentiality
Complete secrecy can never be promised to a pupil, though information disclosed in confidence will not generally be given to anyone else unless the child or someone else would be at risk of harm/abuse. If this is the case then the member of staff would consult the Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy for guidance and inform the key member of staff, in this case the headteacher.

Training and Resources
Opportunities for all teachers for further training in the delivery of SRE will be sought and accepted wherever circumstances permit. The Jigsaw provides a range of well-chosen and imaginative resources to support the learning, such as case studies, scenarios, visual images and video clips. Parents/carers can view teaching resources on request.

Dissemination
This policy is available on our school website where it can be accessed by the community. Training is regularly delivered to staff on the policy content.
Copies are available from the school office on request from parents/carers.
We recognise the clear link between Jigsaw PSHE and the following policies and staff are aware of the need to refer to these policies when appropriate:

• Science Curriculum Policy
• Jigsaw (PSHE) Curriculum Policy
• Teaching and Learning Policy
• Equal Opportunities Policy
• Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy
• Anti-Bullying Policy

 

Policy Review
Approved by the Governing Body June 2018
Next Review: June 2020

 

​​​​​​​Appendix 1