Relationships and Sex Education
Schools have a statutory duty to teach Relationships, Sex and Health Education from September 2020. Relationships and Sex Education aims to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds. Health Education aims to give young people the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing. This builds upon Relationships and Sex Education, currently taught in secondary schools.
Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), and Health Education The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 are made under sections 34 and 35 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, and provide that pupils receiving primary education must be taught Relationships Education, pupils receiving secondary education must be taught RSE and that all primary and secondary pupils must be taught Health Education.
The new subjects of Relationships Education and RSE must be taught in all maintained schools, academies and independent schools. This includes pupil referral units, maintained special schools, special academies, and non-maintained special schools. All schools, except independent schools, must make provision for Health Education. To give effect to the duty in section 34 of the 2017 Act and the power in section 35 of that Act, the Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 amend existing provisions in the Education Act 1996 and the Education Act 2002 and insert new provisions into the Education (Pupil Referral Units) (Application of Enactments) (England) Regulations 2007, the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and the Non-Maintained Special Schools (England) Regulations 2015.
The new provisions include a requirement for the Secretary of State to publish guidance on Relationships Education, RSE, and Health Education; require schools to have regard to that guidance; require schools to make a statement of policy on their provision of Relationships Education and RSE; and set out the circumstances in which a pupil is to be excused from RSE.
Relationships and Sex Education at Beccles High School will build upon the teaching of Relationships and Sex Education at primary school. It aims to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds. This will include content on what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like and what makes a good friend, colleague and successful marriage or committed relationship.
At the appropriate time, the focus will move to developing intimate relationships, to equip the pupil with knowledge they need to make safe, informed and healthy choices as they progress through adult life. By the end of their time at Beccles High School, pupils will have been taught content on families, respectful relationships including friendships, online media, being safe and intimate and sexual relationships including sexual health.
Health Education at Beccles High School gives students the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to recognise issues in themselves and others, and to seek support as early as possible when issues arise. By the end of their time at Beccles High School, pupils will have been taught content on mental wellbeing, internet safety and harms, physical health and fitness, healthy eating, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, health and prevention, basic first aid and the changing adolescent body.
Parents/carers cannot withdraw their child from Health Education or the Relationships Education element of Relationships and Sex Education. If a parent does not want their child to take part in some or all of the Sex Education lessons delivered at Beccles High School, they can ask that they are withdrawn.
Beccles High School’s Headteacher will consider this request and discuss it with the parent/carer, and will grant this in all but exceptional circumstances up until three school terms before the pupil turns 16. At this age, the pupil can choose to receive Sex Education if they would like to, and Beccles High School will arrange for the pupil to receive this teaching in one of those three terms unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The science curriculum at Beccles High School follows the national curriculum including content on human development including reproduction, from which there is no right to request that a pupil is withdrawn.