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Health, Relationships and Sex Education (HRSE) - Consultation

To read our Response to the HRSE Consultation click here 

To hear a translation in Bengali click here

 

Thank you to everyone who completed the HRSE consultation, which has now closed. We have considered the variety of views expressed and taken account of these in Wellington's HRSE policy. This page will provide you with further information.

Summary of  the HRSE Curriculum

H is for Health - in statutory Health Education children learn about:

  • Mental Wellbeing 
  • Internet and Safety Harms 
  • Physical Health and Fitness 
  • Healthy Eating  
  • Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco
  • Health and Prevention 
  • Basic First Aid 
  • Changing Adolescent Body (including puberty) 

R is for Relationships - in statutory Relationships Education children will learn about

  • Families And People Who Care For Me 
  • Caring Relationships 
  • Respectful Relationships 
  • Online Relationships 
  • Being Safe 

S is for Sex Education - in non-statutory Sex Education children will learn about:

  • How a baby is conceived and born (taught in Year 6 and parents can withdraw their child)

Myth-busters

Myth: The curriculum is not age appropriate.

Fact: The curriculum and resources have been written for primary schools.

Myth: The curriculum promotes LGBT.

Fact: The curriculum tells children about different types of families. It does not promote any one family structure.

Myth: The curriculum teaches sex to children as young as five.

Fact: Sex education is taught in Year 6 and parents can opt out.

Myth: External agencies are teaching this curriculum.

Fact: This curriculum is being taught by schools and their teachers. Wellington may ask St John's Ambulance to help us teach children about emergency first aid.

Sensitive Areas of HRSE 

We know that some parents are feeling worried about what their children might learn as part of the Health, Relationships and Sex Education (HRSE) curriculum. This table summarises how we have responded to parental concerns expressed in the consultation. Further detail can be found here.

 

To hear this table summarised in Bengali please click here.

Summary of parental views about sensitive areas of the HRSE curriculum

Aspect from
consultation

What does the curriculum say?

What did the policy say?

What did parents tell us?

What will we now do?

LGBT

Relationships – Families and People Who Care For Me

Pupils should know:

  • that others’ families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care.
  • Wellington had chosen to follow Tower Hamlets recommendations
  • Wellington would teach about LGBT relationships, specifically that some families have two mums and some families have two dads, in the context of different family types in KS1
  • Wellington would take additional time to ensure parents were clear about how teaching is delivered and the resources used
  • There are vastly different views about when to teach this, ranging from Nursery to Y2
  • Teaching should be factual
  • We should not promote any one type of family unit
  • That teaching must not be sexualised
  • That they were worried about lessons going against their faith
  • Train staff to use factual language and not give opinions or express preference for any family type
  • Include families with two mums and families with two dads amongst a list of other family types in Y1
  • Not teach about transgender diversity or bisexuality
  • Not teach this as part of sex education

Naming of private body parts

Relationships – Being Safe

Pupils should know:

  • how to report concerns or abuse and the vocabulary and confidence needed to do so
  • Wellington would teach children to name public and private body parts in KS1
  • The words taught would be:
    • penis and testicles
    • vagina and vulva
    • breast and nipples
    • bottom and anus
  • Pictures should be scientific diagrams and illustrations
  • They do not like the Christopher Winter resources
  • They like the NSPCC Pants resource
  • They want lessons to be age appropriate
  • Use Jigsaw in Y2
  • Use NSPCC Pants from Reception
  • Use scientific illustrations and diagrams
  • Teach public and private body parts at the same time to normalise the language in Y2
  • Not use Christopher Winter

Puberty and menstruation
(periods)

Health – Changing Adolescent Body

Pupils should know:

  • key facts about puberty and the changing adolescent body, particularly from age 9 through to age 11, including physical and emotional changes
  • about menstrual wellbeing including the key facts about the menstrual cycle
  • Lessons about puberty begin in Year 4
  • Taught in single sex groups
  • Resources would be Jigsaw and Christopher Winter diagrams
  • They do not like the Christopher Winter resources
  • They want boys and girls taught separately
  • They want this taught to an older year group than Tower Hamlets recommends
  • They do not want videos or photographs used for teaching
  • Use Jigsaw
  • Use scientific illustrations and diagrams
  • Not use videos or photographs
  • Teach boys and girls separately
  • Teach puberty in Y5 (with an opt in lesson about periods for girls in Y4)
  • Not use Christopher Winter resources

Sex education

DFE states:

  • Not compulsory
  • Primary schools should have a sex education programme
  • Sex education at primary draws on scientific knowledge about the human life cycle
  • Sex education at primary is about how a baby is conceived and born
  • Parents have the right to withdraw
  • Sex education lessons about how an egg is fertilised and babies are born take place in Year 5/6
  • They want to be able to opt their child out of these lessons
  • They want consent to be included in the lessons
  • They want boys and girls taught separately
  • They want these lessons taught in Y6
  • They do not like Christopher Winter resources
  • Give parents the opportunity to opt their child out
  • Include a discussion about consent in the lessons
  • Use Jigsaw, not Christopher Winter resources
  • Use scientific illustrations and diagrams
  • Teach boys and girls separately
  • Teach in Y6

For detailed information about the outcomes of the consultation and our decisions please read our Response to the HRSE Consultation. To hear this document summarised in Bengali please click here.

Our updated HRSE policy, following consultation, can be found opposite.

We do hope that you'll take the time to read this information. If you would like any help in understanding these documents, or would like a paper copy, please contact the school office.

 

Response to the HRSE Consultation

Updated HRSE policy

The full programme will be taught from September 2021, but we will deliver puberty sessions to children in Year 5 and Year 6 by the end of the summer term.

We will hold information sessions for parents of Year 5 and Year 6 children before the lessons take place, to share the content of the sessions and the resources which will be used.

Examples of resources

The HRSE Curriculum has two statutory elements which are Health Education and Relationships Education. To see examples of the resources that will be used at Wellington, please click on the links below.

Health Education

  • Mental Wellbeing - click here 
  • Physical Health and Fitness - click here
  • Internet Safety and Harms - click here
  • Healthy Eating - click here
  • Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco - click here
  • Health and Prevention - click here
  • Basic First Aid - click here 
  • Changing Adolescent Bodies - click here

Relationships Education

  • Families and People Who Care For Me - click here
  • Caring Friendships - click here
  • Respectful Relationships - click here
  • Online Relationships - click here
  • Being Safe - click here

More information

 

For information from the Department for Education (DfE), click here.

For information from London Borough of Tower Hamlets, click here.