Subject Leader: Mrs Penberthy

Intent

At Meadlands we teach Relationships Sex Health Education and have developed a policy which we initially launched in the summer of 2021 after a consultation with a working party of 15 parents, who represented the genders, religions, cultures, sexual orientation and family structures from across our community. Together we developed the policy to ensure it met the requirements of the national curriculum whilst relevant and appropriate for our community. This policy has since been updated, in line with the new statutory guidance that was published in December 2025. 

Implementation

We use the Christopher Winter Project to teach this subject: Teaching RSE with Confidence in Primary Schools is a comprehensive and inclusive resource for teachers and other professionals working in a primary school setting. The updated resource supports schools to meet the 2025 statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex and Health Education. It covers the outcomes from the statutory Relationships Education guidance, key aspects of Health Education, and the statutory and recommended elements of Sex Education. Designed to support our school’s broader PSHE provision, the resource gives clear structure and reassurance. The scheme is a dependable way to enable teachers to deliver sensitive topics with accuracy, inclusivity and confidence. This resource is designed to be used in Reception through to Year 6 and includes an overview of a spiral curriculum for RSE, schemes of work and lesson plans that combine a range of teaching styles and active learning techniques. All lesson plans include stimulating teaching activities and materials. These resources have been used to help train thousands of teachers to teach RSE with confidence. Every unit has been taught in a variety of school settings and has been enthusiastically received by teachers and pupils.

Impact

• Safe and Evidence-Based Learning: The scheme is designed to keep children safe by focusing on relationships, puberty, and biological reproduction in an age-appropriate manner from Reception through to Year 6.
• Scientific Vocabulary: A major impact is that children learn to use correct scientific vocabulary to name body parts and describe body changes, which helps reduce shame and improves communication.
• Empowerment and Safeguarding: It empowers students by teaching skills like consent, assertiveness, and how to identify and report unsafe situations.
• Progression of Knowledge: The spiral curriculum structure ensures that lessons are revisited each year, building on previous learning, starting with friendships and family, and moving to puberty, reproduction, and online safety.
• Emotional Development: It encourages empathy, emotional literacy, and a positive culture of communication about relationships. 

Presentation for Parents

Parents are also welcome to come into school to meet with either the Class Teacher or the Head Teacher to discuss any questions or concerns that they may have regarding content. 

Equalities Week

Sitting alongside RSHE, we hold an annual Equalities Week which celebrates diversity and representation. Please see below the books the children study during this week as well as an example from our whole school display 'Different Families, Same Love.'