Subject leader: Miss Taylor and Mrs Mann

Subject ambassadors: Zara and Jasmine

Intent

Our RSHE curriculum offer is designed to support children's emotional needs, develop their social skills and help them empathise with children around them, who may have different experiences. Learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up will give children and young people the information, skills and positive values to have safe, fulfilling relationships and will help them take responsibility for their own well-being. We want all children to grow up healthy, happy, safe, and able to manage the challenges and opportunities of modern Britain.

Our Aim High, Be Kind ethos is supported by our mindful approach to RSHE as each lesson will progress through key qualities and skills that children of Abbey Gates need to succeed. Our 5Cs (Care, Compassion, Courtesy, Cooperation and Confidence) are key themes that underpin all lessons. Our vision is to equip our pupils with key skills, knowledge and confidence to understand themselves and the world around them. Throughout the year, our RSHE curriculum follows the 'Let's Talk' scheme, which fulfils all the requirements of the DfE's statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex and Health Education (July 2025), effective from September 2026: Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

'Let's Talk' explores relevant issues through three interwoven themes: children's thinking about themselves as individuals, as members of a group with their peers, and the impact of these issues on others. Each unit is built around a scenario and dilemma linked to a real-life text, giving children a safe, discussion-based way to explore issues relevant to them and their world, alongside a carefully sequenced progression in vocabulary as they move through school.

Furthermore, it is our intent to provide our pupils with a rich and broad understanding of themselves and others around them. We describe ourselves as a 'no outsiders' school and aim to ensure that all children feel a sense of belonging within our school community. Our use of Zones of Regulation supports children in recognising and managing their emotions, and our AREP (Anti-Racism Education Programme) underpins our commitment to an inclusive, anti-discriminatory curriculum.

Equip, Embed, Extend and Enrich.

Equip – Using the 'Let's Talk' scheme, lessons are carefully planned where children are equipped with emotional support to develop their social skills and help them empathise with children around them, who may have had different experiences.

Embed – We ensure that prior knowledge and understanding is recapped, and we introduce new and purposeful vocabulary, which is regularly revisited to ensure understanding is maintained. It is important the children have a deep understanding of our school ethos, and the children are encouraged to show and implement those behaviours.

Extend – We aim to progress the learning of each topic as the children progress through school. This enables the children to grow in confidence and can reach their full potential. We consider where discrete lessons may need to be taught to expose and highlight the children to a range of topics. We can then assess where children need further support and can plan for future learning.

Enrich – By providing children with a vast amount of opportunity to learn about themselves and others around them, it prepares them for the wider world. We link our drivers of possibilities and diversity to show the children that anything is possible. We give children and young people the information, skills and positive values to have safe, fulfilling relationships and will help them take responsibility for their own well-being.

Implement

RSHE is at the heart of the Abbey Gates curriculum. It is taught both through discrete lessons based on the 'Let's Talk' scheme but is also woven across the curriculum through our 'Big Questions' which are set each term as part of our Discover, Explore and Create projects. Our curriculum is built upon our school ethos (Aim High and Be Kind – to ourselves/each other/the environment) and our 5Cs (Care, Compassion, Courtesy, Cooperation and Confidence). The RSHE curriculum is a spiral-based curriculum, meaning that the objectives taught to each year group are age-appropriate and progressive, building upon previous learning and taking into account the age and maturation of the children. This means that topics are revisited in greater detail as children progress through school.

Statutory content, in line with DfE requirements, will be embedded across our curriculum and may be taught through:

• Discrete 'Let's Talk' RSHE lessons
• Assemblies to extend children's knowledge of DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) – we are a 'no outsiders' school
• Our 'Big Questions'
• Our existing curriculum subjects (e.g. science, RE, computing, PE etc)
• Sticky Questions which are set for homework and discussed in class each week
• Specific 'themed' days and weeks
• Themed assemblies
• External providers and visitors (e.g. NSPCC, first aid, DAaRT etc)
• The AREP Programme (Anti-Racism Education Programme)
• Zones of Regulation, supporting children to recognise and manage their emotions
• Through individual, group or whole-class sessions with a member of staff in school (including our SENCO Tella Durham, pastoral care team member Laura Muzeja and our Assistant SENCO Amy Smith). These sessions are reviewed regularly by our 'Care and Connect Team'.
• Sex education in KS2 is delivered by a specialist RSE Consultant from Nottinghamshire County Council and is supported/followed up by teaching staff, in line with DfE guidance.

Through an effective and creative curriculum and by the end of primary school, pupils should know about;
Families and people who care for them
Caring friendships
Respectful relationships
Online relationships
Being safe

Physical health and mental wellbeing
Our pupils will be taught about the characteristics of good physical health and mental wellbeing of the benefits and importance of daily exercise, good nutrition and sufficient sleep, and that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health. Within the curriculum and by the end of primary school, pupils should know about;
Mental wellbeing
Online behaviour and safety
Physical health and fitness
Healthy eating
Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
Health and prevention
Basic first aid
Changing adolescent body

Further details of our RSHE curriculum plans can be found by visiting the RSHE page on the school website

Sex Education
Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools, but the DfE strongly recommends that schools teach it, and specifies that this should take place in Year 5 and/or Year 6.

In the Summer Term, workshops that support our learning in Relationships, Health and Sex Education are delivered by an external specialist across Key Stage 2. The content of this will be communicated with parents before the point of teaching, including any information on the right to withdraw. 

Right to withdraw:
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from the non-statutory elements of Sex Education. This does not apply to Relationships Education or Health Education, including learning about puberty, which are statutory for all pupils and cannot be withdrawn from. Parents wishing to exercise this right are asked to contact the school office or speak to the RSHE Lead, who will discuss the request and next steps.

Impact
The impact of our RSHE offer is measured through our monitoring cycle. This includes book looks, learning walks, pupil voice, planning scrutiny and curriculum intent reviews. Alongside working with colleagues from our school, the subject leader liaises with other local schools to ensure our RSHE offer is effective, relevant and gives our children the best start. Teachers use pre-assessment and post-assessment activities for each 'Let's Talk' unit to see how they have developed socially and emotionally. The children understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy, different relationships and how their bodies will change.