Relationships, Sex and Health Education
At Ellis Guilford School we aim to prepare all our pupils to be good citizens of the future. A huge part of all our children’s future is RSHE. The ability to form strong, stable, lasting relationships which are rooted in respect is a trait we endeavour to equip all our pupils with. During their time at Ellis Guilford School, all pupils will experience a varied and exciting curriculum which covers a range of topics relating to the statutory guidance around Relationships, Sex and Health Education.
Relationships, Sex and Health Education is taught within the Skills for Life programme, supplemented with assemblies, tutor time activities and visits from external agencies. Pupils learn about developing healthy relationships of all kinds, including intimate relationships; safety in forming and maintaining relationships, families (and how they differ), marriage, the role of parents, stereotypes around gender and sexuality, LGBT+ and the equalities act, rights and responsibilities online, pornography and the law, being safe online and in real life, and reproductive health and wellbeing. A comprehensive list of content can be found both in our policy here and within the RSHE section of the website below. All our RSHE content is taught within the context of a safe and supportive environment, allowing all students to learn and develop an understanding of how society is structured and functions without feeling stigmatised due to their home circumstances. The government has made Relationships, Sex and Health Education a statutory part of the curriculum and we agree it is a vital part of secondary education.
We recognise that most teenagers now have very active online lives. We want to equip them with tools to navigate safely through the online world, understanding what is and is not appropriate behaviour. We will empower students to understand how to report abuse, of any form, and keep themselves safe.
Physical health education and mental wellbeing is also a mandatory part of RSHE. This will give pupils vital skills to understand, manage and improve their mental health. Students will understand how their physical health and use of social media may impact them and how maintaining good levels of fitness, eating well and managing hygiene can impact them positively. We will also educate students around legal and illegal substances such as drugs, alcohol and tobacco, enabling students to make positive choices in their lives.
Our Relationship, Sex and Health Education programme aims to help children:
- Be confident to talk about their relationships
- Form and maintain healthy relationships with friends and family
- Understand how a healthy, consensual intimate relationship may form and have the skills to manage this safely, including when to delay sexual activity
- Recognise when a relationship is unsafe or unhealthy and be able to report this and get help and support
- Recognise bullying or stereotyping relating to any protected characteristic and have the confidence to prevent and report it
- Understand the different types of families and relationships that people may have, including awareness of gender, sexuality and identities.
- Know how to be safe online and behave appropriately
- Look after their mental and physical health and understand a variety of things that could impact on this.
- Understand life saving first aid and be able to provide this if the situation arose
- Explain the changes a young person will go through during adolescence
Please find a link below to the government guidance around RSHE In secondary schools:
Parents/Carers have a right to request to withdraw their child from sex education delivered as part of Relationship and Sex Education (RSE). This request should be made in writing to the school or by email to: enquiries@ellisguilfordschool.org.uk. The ‘right to withdraw’ will stand until three terms before the child reaches 16. At this point, if the child themselves wishes to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn, the school will make arrangements for this to happen in one of the three terms before the child turns 16 – the legal age of sexual consent.
