Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) including Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

PSHE enables our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. We provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school. Through the Commando Joe Programme we aim to develop greater resilience, encourage a growth mindset and improve attitudes towards learning.

At Montrose Primary School, good relationships are fundamental to our ethos and our success in being a happy, caring and safe school. Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is lifelong learning about relationships, emotions, looking after ourselves, different families, sex, sexuality and sexual health. We aim for the children in our school to acquire the appropriate knowledge, develop their skills and form positive beliefs, values and attitudes. RSE has a key part to play in the personal, social, moral and spiritual development of young people.

As part of the PSHE curriculum, through other subjects and assemblies, we teach and engage the children with, the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We actively promote tolerance and respect for other faiths throughout the school by learning about different religions and by celebrating diversity.

Content includes the following themes:

Safety – road , stranger danger, fire, water

Property – stealing, respecting others / own property, sharing

Friendship – bullying, making / keeping friends

Environment – care of and protecting, school and global issues

Home skills – helping, people who care for us, coping during good and bad times

Behaviour – school, class, behaviour rules, politeness, in and out of school, saying “no” to bad choices

Changes – healthy lifestyles, food, personal hygiene, exercise, making choices

Equality – racism, sexism, understanding, tolerance and appreciation

Good to be me – what / who makes us feel good / bad, how to help yourself be happier

E-safety – at home and at school, knowing how to avoid problems, who to ask for help

British Values – democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect,

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs (links to RE)

Relationships and Sex Education

We believe Relationships Education is learning about emotional, social and physical aspects of our lives, about ourselves and our relationships. It enables pupils to develop essential life skills for building and maintaining positive, enjoyable, respectful and non-exploitative relationships. It equips pupils with information and skills they need to understand about themselves, their peers and people they meet in the wider community. It explores risks, choices, rights, responsibilities and attitudes. It will help pupils to develop skills to keep themselves and others safer, physically and emotionally, both on and off line. Relationships Education enables pupils to explore their own attitudes and those of others respectfully.

Relationships Education makes a major contribution to fulfilling our school’s vision: that our children are unique and possess a range of strengths and qualities; as such, they have the right to succeed, recognise their own greatness, and develop who they are in a respectful and caring environment where all children can recognise and achieve their potential allowing them to make their best contribution to society. 

We deliver Relationships Education as part of our wider provision of Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHE), which also includes statutory Health Education.

The aims of Relationships Education are further supported by interventions, extracurricular and enrichment activities we provide. For example, children’s learning is enriched through educational visits, our Forest School, visitors, sporting opportunities, music, art and cultural events and links to the local area.  At Montrose, we give children the best possible start and build on their early skills preparing them for each stage of their education, raising their aspirations and demonstrating possibilities for their future lives.  Our values underpin all that we do in school and foster independence and resilience. 

We have a taken into account the DfE’s recommendation that all primary schools have a Sex Education programme and we understand that this is not statutory. We understand that our teaching in sex education must be tailored to the needs and physical and emotional maturity of the pupils. Parents/carers, governors and pupils have been consulted about this and our school has decided that we will offer non-statutory sex education content in two year 6 lessons within the “Safety and the changing body” unit: lesson 5 (conception) and lesson 6 (pregnancy and birth). Families will be notified beforehand to allow them to consider the content of these lessons and to withdraw their child if they so wish. For more information, please see our Relationships Education policy on the policies page. 

Here is the long term plan for PSHE / RSE, showing which topics are taught in each year group. 

Generally, "Family and Relationships" and "Health and wellbeing" topics are taught in the autumn term; "Safety and the changing body" in the spring term; "Citizenship" and "Economic wellbeing" in the summer term.