From September 2020, Relationships Education teaching is a mandatory requirement for all primary schools. The purpose of Relationships Education is to equip children with the understanding, knowledge and skills they will need in their everyday lives. These are important life skills about communicating and interacting with others. Teaching about relationships enables children to safely negotiate making new friendships, recognise potential threats to their wellbeing and develop meaningful relationships with others throughout their lives.

To prepare children for embracing the challenges of a happy and successful adult life, we need to give them the knowledge that helps them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships. This is why Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education are all so important.

Relationships Education will form part of children’s learning about the world around them and how they interact with others. Like all areas of the curriculum, Relationships Education will be taught objectively, without bias. Children will not be taught to question their own gender identity but will become aware that we are all different and that our differences should never be a cause for fear, conflict or disrespect.

In the early years (nursery and reception), children will begin to:

• develop a positive sense of themselves and others;

• form positive relationships with others;

• develop respect for others;

• develop an awareness of similarities and differences between people.

In KS1 (years 1 and 2), children will learn more about topics such as:

• working collaboratively with others;

• being kind and treating others with respect;

• bullying and unkind behaviours;

• understanding their own and others’ emotions;

• the importance of families and friends in our lives;

• different family structures.

In KS2 (years 3, 4, 5 and 6), children will build on this and will cover learning on:

• teamwork and shared responsibilities;

• resolving conflicts with others;

• conveying their emotions to others appropriately;

• the different types of relationships people have with others;

• effective communication with others;

• healthy and unhealthy relationships, including all forms of bullying;

• peer pressure and dares

As from September 2020, ‘Relationships Education’ is now statutory for all primary children, in all primary schools, this means that parents and carers cannot withdraw their child from these lessons. However, they will be able to request that their child is withdrawn from lessons about ‘Sex Education’ taught as part of  ‘Relationships Education’ which are not statutory objectives covered in the Science National Curriculum. 

This will only apply to years 2, 4 and 6 and in their medium term plans, the option to withdraw from a lesson, is highlighted in yellow. Parents will receive a letter from their class teacher outlining content of these lessons for your information in the first half of the summer term. If you do wish to withdraw your child, please inform the class teacher or Mr Skelcher. Other work will be provided for these children, outside of the classroom.