PSHE/ RHE

At Topcliffe Primary School we have chosen to use the KAPOW scheme of work for our PSHE and RHE Curriculum. Here is a video which explains a little bit more about our curriculum - what we teach and when. 

Curriculum Video for Parents 

Year Group Curriculum Unit Overviews - click here for a description of each teaching unit.

PSHE/RSHE Policy 

The PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education) curriculum is an integral part of our whole school curriculum and covers aspects of Relationships Education, Health Education, the Equality Act and growing up/ puberty. The KAPOW programme of study has been designed to consider a range of themes and issues that young people may encounter throughout their lives and encourages them to use developing social skills and knowledge to identify risks and make safe decisions. We are a UNICEF Rights Respecting School and we were awarded Gold status in July 2021. We believe that the promotion of pupils’ personal and social development and children's rights fundamentally underpins all other learning.

Parents and carers are sometimes concerned about the conversations children may have in RSHE lessons, but teachers have lots of ways to make sure children are safe in these lessons. For example, they will have ground rules to make sure children feel confident to share their ideas, they will use things like puppets and stories, so children are discussing a made up characters’ experiences rather than their own. They also know the children in their class well and will have a sense of their needs and what they teach will be age appropriate. It is important to balance what children know already and to prepare them for the future. Discussing issues in the safe learning environment of the classroom before they experience them in real life is very valuable for children.

Our Relationships Education curriculum lessons are divided into three topic areas and these are delivered in an age appropriate and sensitive manner. The lessons will give children the opportunity to increase their knowledge and understanding of the topic. They will also be able to explore their feelings and ideas about topics and listen to the views of other people. The overall aim is for children to be able to make their informed choices and decisions. The following topics will be covered during the Primary school curriculum as part of the statutory curriculum content for PSHE, RSHE or Science.

Families and relationships

• How to form and maintain friendships • Importance of family • Different types of families • Dealing with problems in friendships • Online friendships, including staying safe online • Stereotyping

Health and wellbeing

• Mental health and wellbeing • Healthy eating • Physical activity • Dental health • Importance of sleep • Medicines • Tobacco • Alcohol • First aid

Safety and the changing body

• Online safety • Safety around adults • Understanding their body• Asking for help when needed

Children in Y4, Y5 and Y6 will learn about:

• Physical changes during puberty • Emotional changes during puberty 

Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools, beyond what is laid out in the National Curriculum for Science:

● Year 1: Identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense.

● Year 2: Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults ● Year 5: Describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals; describe the changes as humans develop to old age [ They should learn about the changes experienced in puberty.]

The RSE statutory guidance states that: Where a maintained primary school chooses to teach aspects of sex education (which go beyond the national curriculum for science), the school must set this out in their policy and all schools should consult with parents on what is to be covered.

Primary schools that choose to teach sex education must allow parents a right to withdraw their children. Unlike sex education in RSE at secondary, in primary schools, head teachers must comply with a parent’s wish to withdraw their child from sex education beyond the national curriculum for science.

The Kapow Primary scheme of work includes two Year 6 lessons which parents have the opportunity to withdraw their children from: Safety and the changing body: Lesson 5: Conception and Lesson 6: Pregnancy and birth. Parents of children in Y6 will be notified in advance of when these lessons will take place and given the opportunity to withdraw their child from these lessons should they wish to.