Relationship and Sex Education 

Relationship Education became statutory for all primary schools from September 2020. At St Pancras we use The Life to the Full programme.  This programme is based on ‘A Model Catholic RSE Curriculum’ by the Catholic Education Service which was highlighted as a work of good practice by the Department of Education. Therefore, we have confidence that the programme will be fit for purpose in supporting the growth and development of your child. 

Life to the Full is much more than a series of lessons. It is an entire platform of creative resources that will engage, inform and inspire our children and, indeed, you as parents. This includes interactive video content, story-based activities, employing a wide range of teaching tools, original worship music and an accompanying programme of classroom prayers. 

Intent:

At St Pancras Catholic Primary School, the RSE curriculum ensures our children are equipped with the knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence to cope with the many pressures and challenges of modern society. Learning about friendships and families are the building blocks to help children understand themselves and others. Children are prepared for physical and emotional changes they undergo during puberty. They are equipped with information, skills and values to have safe and positive relationships.  We will provide all children with good knowledge and understanding of the complexities of relationships and how they grow and change and give children the skills to navigate their way through these, now and in the future. Through our RSE curriculum, we believe we can enhance children’s education and help them to become confident individuals who have positive body awareness, an in-depth knowledge of how to keep themselves safe and healthy, and who will, through respect, tolerance and understanding build positive relationships with a diverse range of family and friendship groups.  The RSE curriculum provides children at St Pancras with the skills and confidence to make practical judgements about the right thing to do in different circumstances and promotes respect and dignity. All of this is done within the doctrine of the Catholic Church, faithful to the Church’s vision of human wholeness whilst recognising the contemporary context in which we live.  At St Pancras Catholic Primary School, we deliver this through our scheme of work ‘Live to the Full,’ which is provided by the TenTen Theatre Company. 

Implementation:

At St Pancras Catholic primary, RSE is taught as explicit lessons in all classes through our scheme of work ‘Life to the Full.’ RSE is also covered and embedded through our PSHE, R.E., and science curriculum as well as day-to-day life of the school.  Children are taught by their class teachers who they have good relationships with, in order to facilitate constructive and supportive discussions around sensitive topics in a safe and secure environment.  Parents and carers have access to an online portal for support and Parentmails are sent in advance to parents to inform them of any sensitive areas that may arise. Staff know where to seek advice and support with RSE and any sensitive issues that may arise.  At St Pancras Catholic Primary School, pupils are taught each element of RSE and more through the very thorough, spiral programme of learning from TenTen. The scheme of work ‘Life to the Full,’ ensures all areas of the RSE curriculum is covered and at an age appropriate level. Progression in RSE is clearly demonstrated and is taught in three modules from EYFS to Year 6.

Impact:

At St Pancras Catholic Primary School, we have high expectations of behaviour, interpersonal relationships, respect and tolerance of others in both our school community and the wider world. Through our rigorous and progressive curriculum, children develop the skills and prepare them for the wider world beyond primary school; a world in which they can keep themselves safe and build healthy relationships with those around them. 

We will measure the impact of our curriculum regularly throughout the school year, ensuring we include the input and voices of people across the school including children, class teachers, subject leaders, SLT and link governors.

Class teachers will use a range of methods to assess children’s learning, ensuring that the key skills, knowledge and vocabulary are embedded in each year group and any gaps or misconceptions can be addressed. A range of methods will measure the impact of our curriculum including:

Assessment

• Checking children’s prior knowledge at the beginning of a unit.  
• Questioning and formative feedback during lessons.
• Addressing gaps in learning or misconceptions as they arise.

Monitoring

• Discussions with pupils across the school about their RSE learning to give pupil voice.
•  Lesson dropins
•  Planning & work scrutiny carried out by subject leaders to give a picture of impact across the school.

Parent Portal

In addition there will be an online parent platform so that you, as parent and carers, can engage with the teaching and deepen the experience for your child. To access the online parent platform please visit: www.tentenresources.co.uk/parent-portal 

The username and password has been sent to you through Parentmail. 

Life to the Full is intended to be partnership between home, school and church. We know that you already do a fantastic job and we see our new programme, Life to the Full, as a means to further develop, support and enrich the partnership between home, school and church so that your child is fully supported. 

 

Programme Content 

The programme adopts a spiral curriculum approach so that as your child goes through the programme year-after-year, the learning will develop and grow, with each stage building on the last. 

 

Module One: Created and Loved by God 

Module One: Created and Loved by God explores the individual. Rooted in the teaching that we are made in the image and likeness of God, it helps children to develop an understanding of the importance of valuing themselves as the basis for personal relationships. 

 

In these sessions, we explore: 

 

Key Stage One – that we are uniquely made by a loving God, that we have differences and similarities (including physical differences between boys and girls), key information about staying physically healthy, understanding feelings and emotions, including strong feelings such as anger, and the cycle of life from birth to old age. 

 

Lower Key Stage Two – understanding differences, respecting our bodies, puberty and changing bodies (recommended for Year 4+), strategies to support emotional wellbeing including practicing thankfulness, and the development of pupils understanding of life before birth. 

 

Upper Key Stage Two – appreciation of physical and emotional differences, a more complex understanding of physical changes in girl and boys bodies, body image, strong emotional feelings, the impact of the internet and social media on emotional well-being, a more nuanced and scientific understanding of life in the womb and how babies are made, and menstruation. 

 

Module Two: Created to Love Others 

Module Two: Created to Love Others explores the individual’s relationship with others. Building on the understanding that we have been created out of love and for love, this unit explores how we take this calling into our family, friendships and relationships, and teaches strategies for developing heathy relationships and keeping safe. 

 

This religious understanding is then applied to real-world situations relevant to the age and stage of the children: 

 

Key Stage One – In the Unit  ‘Personal Relationships’, children are taught to identify the Special People in their lives who they love and can trust, how to cope with various social situations and dilemmas, and the importance of saying sorry and forgiveness within relationships. In the Unit ‘Keeping Safe’, we explore the risks of being online by incorporating the ‘Smartie the Penguin’ resources from Childnet, the difference between good and bad secrets, and teaching on physical boundaries (incorporating the PANTS resource the NSPCC). 

 

Lower Key Stage Two – The sessions here  help  children  to develop a more complex  appreciation  of  different  family structures and there are activities and strategies to help  them develop healthy relationships with family and friends;  here,  they are also taught simplified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques for managing thoughts, feelings and actions. 

 

Once again, for the ‘Keeping Safe’ unit, there are some excellent NSPCC resources, as well as teaching on bullying and abuse through a series of animated stories. 

 

Upper Key Stage Two – The sessions for UKS2 in the ‘Personal Relationships’ module aim to equip children with strategies for more complex experiences of relationships and conflict; this includes sessions that help children to identify and understand how to respond to spoken and unspoken pressure, the concept of consent and some practical demonstrations of this, and further teaching on how our thoughts and feelings have an impact on how we act. 

 

Module Three: Created to Live in Community 

Finally, Module Three: Created to Live in Community explores the individual’s relationship with the wider world.  Here we explore how human beings are relational by nature and are called to love others in the wider community through service, through dialogue and through working for the Common Good. 

 

In the first Unit, Religious Understanding, the story sessions help children to develop a concept of the Trinity. 

 

In subsequent sessions, we apply this religious understanding to real-world situations, such as the community we live in, and through exploring the work of charities which work for the Common Good.