Relationships, Sex and Health Education
At Orchard Primary Academy, we understand the importance of educating pupils about sex, relationships and their health, for them to make responsible and well-informed decisions in their lives.
The teaching of RSE and health education can help to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. It allows us to promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at school and in the wider society. The 'My Happy Mind' scheme carefully explores age and developmentally appropriate learning for all year groups. The scheme is fully compliant with the DFE guidance for RSE.
We are clear that parents and carers are the prime educators for children on many of these matters and the school’s role is to provide our pupils with high-quality and age-appropriate teaching to support their personal development and pastoral needs.
The RSE and Health education policy outlines how the school’s RSE and health education curriculum will be organised and delivered as well as what will be taught to the various year groups. You can access a copy of this policy via the link below.
Please click here to complete our parent survey on Relationships, Sex and Health Education
Defining Relationship and Sex Education
The DFE guidance defines RSE as “lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance of marriage and family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care. It is also about the teaching of sex, sexuality and sexual health”. It is about the development of the pupil’s knowledge and understanding of her or him as a sexual being, about what it means to be fully human, called to live in right relationships with self and others and being enabled to make moral decisions in conscience.
Click the button below to read the DFE Guidance
RSE and Health Education Statutory Guidance
Parent Partnerships
We believe in effective communication between home and school. If parents have concerns regarding RSE and health education, they may submit these via email, or contact the school office to arrange a meeting with the headteacher.
You may find that some of your questions can be answered on this FAQ document produced by the government.
If you want help about how to talk to your child about puberty and their changing body then please click the button below
Right to withdraw
Parents have the right to request that their child is withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE.
Parents do not have a right to withdraw their child from the relationships or health elements of the programmes.
The school will respect the parents’ request to withdraw their child up to and until three terms before the child turns 16. After this point, if the child wishes to receive RSE rather than be withdrawn, the school will make arrangements to provide the child with RSE.
Requests to withdraw a child from sex education will be made in writing to the headteacher.