RSHE at St Thomas More

Intent

The DfE guidance states that “children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way.”¹

1. RSE is about the development of the pupil’s knowledge and understanding of herself or himself as a sexual being, about what it means to be fully human, called to live in healthy relationships and being enabled to make moral decisions in conscience.
2. The focus will be on “teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and with adults.”² This will include the topics of families and the people who care for me, caring friendships, respectful relationships, online relationships and being safe.

Our aim is for all children to become confident, creative and engaged learners who achieve their full God-given potential. We aim to inspire curiosity and fascination about our local communities as well as our world community.

At St Thomas More, we recognise the innate dignity of the human person and believe that all children have self-respect as well as respect for each other, and this underpins all of our human relationships. We want all children to know their true value as they are made by God and in the image of God.

We ensure that through the lens of faith we develop individual, unique people and form the foundations of them being able to contribute to society. Our school vision is that as a Catholic school, God is at the heart of all we do. We believe that each person is made in His image, deserving to be treated with respect and dignity. Showing respect, love and care for everyone and everything, we aim to develop harmony between pupils, parents, the school and Parish and grow as a Christian community. We aim to enable each individual to realise their full potential—spiritually, academically, physically, socially and emotionally.

Our approach is underpinned by Catholic Social Teaching, which calls us to uphold the dignity of the human person, promote the common good, nurture solidarity and care for the whole community. These principles guide our understanding of healthy relationships, respect, and moral decision-making, ensuring that our children grow to be responsible, compassionate and faith-filled citizens.

We deliver our Relationship, Health and Sex Education through a fully integrated and holistic programme called Life to The Full. The programme is created using the model curriculum from the Catholic Education Service. The content is delivered in a variety of ways to engage, inform and inspire both staff and pupils. Interactive videos, story-based activities, original music and prayer form the basis of lessons.

Implementation

Programme Structure: ‘In Life to the Full’

We will be following a four-stage structure and carefully linked to our PSHCE and Computing curriculum:

□ EYFS

□ Key Stage One is aimed at Years 1 and 2

□ Lower Key Stage Two is aimed at Years 3 and 4

□ Upper Key Stage Two is aimed at Years 5 and 6

Within each learning stage, there are three modules which are based on the Model Catholic RSE Curriculum:

Impact

Children will leave St Thomas More Catholic Primary School as pupils who:

• show reverence for the gift of human sexuality and fertility;
• show respect for the dignity of every human being – in their own person and in the person of others;
• show joy in the goodness of the created world and their own bodily natures;
• show responsibility for their own actions and a recognition of the impact of these on others;
• show recognition and appreciation of their own sexual identity and that of others;
• celebrate the gift of life-long, self-giving love;
• recognise the importance of marriage and family life;
• show fidelity in mutually-supportive relationships.

To develop the following personal and social skills:

• making sound judgements and good choices which have integrity, and which are respectful of the individual’s commitments;
• loving and being loved, and the ability to form friendships and loving, stable relationships free from exploitation, abuse and bullying;
• managing emotions, both within relationships and when those relationships break down, with confidence, sensitivity and dignity;
• managing conflict positively, recognising the value of difference;
• cultivating humility, mercy and compassion, learning to forgive and be forgiven;
• developing self-esteem and confidence, demonstrating self-respect and empathy for others;
• building resilience and the ability to resist unwanted pressures, recognising the influence and impact of the media, internet and peer groups and so developing the ability to assess pressures and respond appropriately;
• being patient, delaying gratification and learning to recognise the appropriate stages in the development of relationships, and how to love chastely;
• assessing risks and managing behaviour in order to minimise the risk to health and personal integrity.

To know and understand:

• the Church’s teaching on relationships and the nature and meaning of sexual love;
• the Church’s teaching on marriage and the importance of marriage and family life;
• the centrality and importance of virtue in guiding human living and loving;
• the physical and psychological changes that accompany puberty;
• the facts about human reproduction, how love is expressed sexually and how sexual love plays an essential and sacred role in procreation.