RSHE
At Limehurst Academy we aim to prepare all our students to be good citizens of the future. The ability to form strong, stable, lasting relationships which are rooted in respect is a trait we endeavour to equip all our students with. Therefore, an important part of our curriculum is Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE). During their time at Limehurst, all students will experience a varied and exciting curriculum which covers a range of topics relating to the statutory guidance around RSHE.
We recognise that parents and carers are the prime educators for children on many of these matters. As a school we complement and reinforce this role and know that building on what young people learn at home as an important part of delivering a good education. If you are interested in becoming part of a working group to continue to develop RSHE at Limehurst Academy, please let us know.
RSHE is taught within the Personal Development curriculum as well as other subject areas such as science, PE and ICT. It is supplemented with assemblies, tutor time activities and visits from external agencies. Students 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, LGBTQ+ 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 via the links below.
All of 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 RSHE 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 students 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
As part of the statutory guidance for RSHE, parents have the right to withdraw their child from Sex Education as part of their Personal Development lessons. The right to withdraw relates to any, some or all of Sex Education as part of statutory RSHE. There is no right to withdraw from Relationships Education, Health Education or other curriculum areas such as science. The parental right to withdraw is applicable up to and until three terms before the child turns 16. After that point, if the child wishes to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn, the school will make arrangements to provide the child with sex education during one of those terms. Please see the policy for further details should you wish to request this.
Please find links below to the government guidance around RSHE in secondary schools and other supporting documents:
Understanding RSHE at Your Child's Secondary School - A Guide for Parents
Talking To Your Child About Dependable Relationships
Useful Websites for Parents and Young People
Government Guidance for RSHE in Secondary Schools