Under the Children and Social Work Act 2017 the government committed to making Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) statutory in all secondary schools, including local authority maintained schools, academies, free schools and independent schools.
Teaching about relationships and sex is nothing new for schools – RSE is covered through PSHE education, an established curriculum subject taught in the vast majority of schools. The Polygon has more time dedicated to the teaching of PSHE and SRE than any other school in Southampton so this is nothing new to us here but the new requirements are fantastic news for all young people across the country as now ALL young people will have equal access to quality PSHE and SRE lessons.
Educational settings play an important role in creating social norms for young people which is why it is so important that children and young people are educated about issues relating to relationships and sex education as part of a spiral curriculum, building on ideas as they grow and develop from primary school upwards.
At The Polygon our work within SRE provides the pupils with knowledge about the nature of sexuality and the processes of human reproduction. It also aims to address the issues surrounding access to media which isn't age appropriate and increased sexualisation of young people. We want to provide our pupils with the skills to make informed choices in regards to sex and relationships, and to enable our students to understand what a healthy and positive relationship is like while promoting meaningful, loving and healthy relationships.
At The Polygon we have established our bespoke curriculum and have had many consultations with parents. We believe our relationships and work with parents is key so please don’t ever be concerned if you receive a call from Mrs Foster for a PSHE chat and likewise if you have any concerns or queries please call Mr Penfold and we will be happy to listen.
As a school community, we are committed to working in partnership with parents; past parental feedback has indicated that the overwhelming majority of parents continue to be highly supportive of the relationships and sex education programme. Engaging with parents about the content of our PSHE programme including RSE is an important part of providing a high quality programme. In past Target Review day’s parents and pupils have shared their views through diamond 9 activities and conversations on topics which they feel should have priority. Parenting skills, healthy relationships, the law and online safety have always been important to our school community and we have offered additional courses and learning to respond to this.
If you are new to the school or would like more information the link below is a guide for parents from the government on ‘Understanding Relationships, Sex and Health Education at your child’s secondary school’. Our school SRE policy is also on our website along with curriculum for each year group.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907640/RSE_secondary_schools_guide_for_parents.pdf
At The Polygon we are very proud of our PSHE programme of study. PSHE is the curriculum subject that gives young people the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live safe, healthy, productive lives and meet their full potential so we will continue to develop and work to provide the best outcomes for all of our pupils in this subject. Any questions regarding PSHE, SRE, how to support your child at home, signposting of local resources or just a chat about a PSHE topic please contact Mrs Foster.
