Relationships education has been compulsory for pupils in primary education since September 2020. For secondary pupils, relationships and sex education (RSE) must be taught. Health education is now compulsory in all schools too.
- In primary schools, the subjects should put in place the key building blocks for healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online. This will sit alongside the essential understanding of how to be healthy.
- At secondary school, teaching builds on this and develops pupils’ understanding of health, with an increased focus on risk areas such as drugs and alcohol, as well as introducing knowledge about intimate relationships and sex and how to have positive and healthy sexual relationships.
The current RSHE guidance can be found here.
There are several resources for schools to support you in the delivery of RSHE. Please see below:
Easy-read guide to relationships and sex for pupils with SEND
Sex Education Forum launched an Easy Read guide in September 2024, which offers a definition of sexual health using pictures and accessible language. The tool can be used to build a shared understanding of sexual health, by
- introducing the topic of sexual health, especially to puils with SEND
- outlining your approach to parents
- getting feedback from students on gaps in learning.
Chameleon
Chameleon provides puberty, sex education and relationships lesson and assembly plans for primary schools (ages 7-11) and RSHE webinars for staff including tackling online misogyny and resources on for secondary schools.
The Chameleon resources library and webinars free for Swindon’s schools. Sign up here.
NCA-CEOP Education resources can be searched for on their database by category and age range. Each resource has a detailed description covering key aims and suggestions for delivery to children and young people. Resources include online safety, RSE, sexual abuse and exploitation. View the National Crime Agency CEOP PSHE Resources database
Get Real
Get Real Sessions are relationship and sex education sessions for secondary schools, encompassing the latest statutory RSE guidance within a spiral curriculum. Each session combines video based teaching with teacher led class activities. Further information about Get Real is available at: https://www.getrealsessions.co.uk/p/testimonials
Jigsaw
Jigsaw provides resources (charge for these) and free webinars. The resources library includes education lesson and assembly plans for primary schools and RSHE lesson plans and assemblies for secondary schools. Jigsaw resources can be accessed here.
NSPCC Learning has created a framework and resources for sex and relationships education as part of its Talk Relationships service (April 2024). The framework, created with the organisation Life Lessons, helps schools implement a whole-school approach to sex and relationships. New resources include: an implementation guide with step-by-step advice; the framework setting out components to a whole-school approach; and a snapshot tool for self-assessing sex and relationships provision.
Find out more: Resources to embed healthy relationships across your whole school
NSPCC Learning, with the PSHE Association, has updated its Talk PANTS resources for nurseries and primary schools to help keep children safe from sexual abuse. The updates include a presentation of the Underwear Rule to use with 3- to 5-year-olds.
Access the resources: PANTS resources for schools and teachers
NSPCC provides the following free RSHE resources for schools:
- Speak Out. Stay Safe: 2 versions of a virtual assembly suitable for 5 – 7yrs and 7 -11yrs. Face to face workshops are available for Y2, 5 and 6. Helps pupils understand abuse in all its forms and recognise the signs, understand that it is never a child’s fault and that they have the right to be safe, and know the sources of help available to them.
- RSHE and RSE resources and lesson plans for all key stages.
- Online safety hub
- Talk Relationships free package of support to help secondary schools confidently deliver inclusive RSHE. This includes:
- eLearning courses to support school to implement and deliver RSHE
- lesson plans including plans for young people with SEND
- dedicated helpline for secondary school staff.
NSPCC resources for schools can be accessed here.
Sex, Lies & Love Project
Free offer for Swindon secondary schools based around the reduction of violence against women and girls:
- 12-week ‘Safer Relationships’ programme, beginning with a workshop with Founder of Sex, Lies & Love Project focusing on harmful behaviour in relationships, consent, coercion, and online safety. The workshop is open to up to 40 young women from Year 9 and Year 10, and the content delivered can be tailored.
- 11 mentoring sessions where young women can self-refer themselves for support around safer relationships.
Team SMASH can offer this programme to two Swindon secondary schools from April 2024 until the end of the summer term, and can take further bookings for September 2024 and January 2025.
To find out more about the Sex, Lies & Love Project, please visit The Sex, Lies & Love Project (thesllproject.co.uk) Contacts: rowan@teamsmash.org.uk and kat@teamsmash.org.uk
Workshops:
- Three different workshops which can be delivered in isolation, or Barnardos can run all three.
- One hour long and specifically aimed at Yr 6 or secondary school students.
- Pupils are given a card listing names and contact numbers of organisations where they can go for further help and advice.
- Maximum of 30 students per hour slot.
- Unlike 1:1 and group work, these workshops can be delivered to male and female students; no referrals are required.
- Topics: Healthy relationships, grooming and exploitation; being safe and online safety.
Book via: saferstreetsswindon@barnardos.org.uk
See anti-bullying resources on the emotional health and wellbeing page.
Real Love Rocks - Barnardo's
Healthy Relationships & Exploitation Education Resources. View more here:
Primary schools: https://barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/packs/primary-pack/
Secondary schools: https://barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/packs/secondary-pack/
SEND pack: https://barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/packs/send-pack/
Swindon Women's Aid
- Domestic Abuse Aware Schools Award.
- Education Outreach Service: a specialist support service for CYP who have experienced/witnessed domestic abuse and 1-2-1 support for those aged 7 to 18 delivered through Swindon schools or colleges
- Young person’s violence advisor 12 - 24 year olds
- Group work with children aged 8 – 18yrs – recovery toolkit and helping hands
- Healthy Relationship Education in Secondary Schools
- Primary Schools Workshops – focused on protective behaviours and positive friendships
View more: https://swadomesticabuse.org/our-services/children-young-people/
This is when...
This valuable resource is aimed at raising awareness among young people. Supported by funding from Safer Streets, Prime Theatre collaborated with Cr8 Studios and schools in Swindon to develop three scenarios facilitating discussions on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). The attached poster features a QR code that grants access to the films and accompanying resources tailored for each scenario.
Brook provide free lesson plans and resources to support RSHE for primary and secondary schools: https://www.brook.org.uk/resources/
Stalking and harassment
Alice Ruggles Trust - teaching
Educational Resources | Suzy Lamplugh Trust
Template withdrawal form for parents and carers
Following on from feedback from schools, we have developed a template form for you to give parents wishing to withdraw their children from sex education within RSHE. You can update this with your school's details.
Download the template form here
Swindon Sexual Health Services
Work creatively to reach young people and vulnerable adults who may struggle to access mainstream sexual health services.
Based in Swindon Health Centre and can see young people in schools, in their own homes or wherever they are comfortable to meet.
Take referrals from any person working with young people or vulnerable adults, who would benefit from a little more support.
To refer:
gwh.sexualhealth.outreach@nhs.net
Phone: 01793 607877,78,79
07920829019 – Gemma; 07920829032 – Sarah; 07775035922- Cara and Jess
Swindon's School Nursing Team
The School Nursing Team and provide 1:1 support around sexual health to pupils. To refer a pupil, please fill out the following: School Nursing referral form
Domestic Abuse Services
PARAGON has a specialist team in Swindon who are trained and skilled to work with children and young people. Read about their services on their leaflet.
Healthy Relationships Bookmarks and Posters
Swindon Soroptimists have developed a lesson plan and bookmark to help secondary schools in Swindon promote positive relationships.A poster is also available.
Swindon Soroptimists is the local club of an international, volunteer organisation that works through actions and advocacy to improve the lives of women and girls.
One of their ongoing key themes and projects is violence against women and to that end the ‘Love Is / Love Is Not’ bookmarks have been created to highlight the good and bad examples of relationship traits.
The bookmarks were previously distributed to all secondary schools in Swindon and Wiltshire and also Women's Aid, Nelson Trust Women's Centre and Wiltshire Police.
Download a copy of the bookmark here.
Further copies of bookmarks and posters may be requested by schools, for use in PSHE lessons. Please contact Lydia Cardew, Project Officer with Swindon Soroptimists lcardew@yahoo.co.uk 01672 810214 for details of how to obtain more copies.
NCA: Exploring Cybercrime for pupils with SENDDesigned for use with pupils aged 12-16 in special or mainstream education settings who have moderate learning difficulties, additional learning needs and/or autism, these fully-accessible lessons will help raise awareness of the risks associated with cybercrime — including the reasons why young people may engage in criminal activity online, and its impact on both individuals and the wider community. The two lesson plans are available as both PowerPoint and PDF files. Each lesson plan has four main activities for you to choose from, to best suit your pupils’ needs. There is also accompanying teacher guidance with extensive notes on technological terms and frequently asked questions, as well as wider links to our Planning Framework for Pupils with SEND and the statutory RSHE guidance. There are pupil resources and activities for each lesson plan, fully optimised for screen readers and with advanced accessibility features built in. |
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DfE Reports: September 2024
The DfE is looking to provide further support for schools in teaching about sexual harassment, sexual violence, and violence against women and girls. The primary aim of this project was to conduct a review of evidence to inform further support for schools and to ensure that this support is based on the best possible evidence, particularly of best practice. Read the report: Teaching relationships education to prevent sexual abuse Research report
The DfE has also recently published findings about the implementation of the 2020 RSHE curriculum guidance in schools. The key findings of the research suggest that overall, the theory of change, including the activities, outputs, outcomes, and underlying assumptions, partially align with the actual practices in the schools. Schools have engaged with and implemented the new curriculum using a range of different approaches, adapting the guidance flexibly to the context of their school. So, while the findings suggest that the schools have engaged with the guidance issued by DfE and delivered the new curriculum, they may not have been doing this in the way that was assumed by DfE. The findings from the research suggest that nonetheless, the implementation of the new curriculum appeared to have been successful in terms of leaders’ and teachers’ satisfaction and confidence in delivering the new curriculum. However, further research may be required to gain a better understanding of how effective the different approaches used by schools were, the barriers that schools were still facing, and possible solutions to address them. Read more: Relationships, sex and health education Implementation of the 2020 curriculum guidance in school
