This policy supports the rights respecting principles and is particularly applicable to the following articles:
Article 2
The Convention applies to everyone: whatever their race, religion or abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from.
Article 3
The best interests of the child must be a top priority in all things that affect children.
Article 12
Every child has the right to have a say in all matters affecting them, and to have their views taken seriously.
Article 13
Every child must be free to say what they think and to seek and receive all kinds of information, as long as it is within the law.
Article 19
Governments must do all they can to ensure that children are protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and bad treatment by their parents or anyone else who looks after them.
Article 24
Every child has the right to the best possible health. Governments must work to provide good quality health care, clean water, nutritious food and a clean environment so that children can stay healthy. Richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this.
Article 28
Every child has the right to an education. Primary education must be free. Secondary education must be available for every child. Discipline in schools must respect children’s
dignity. Richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this.
At Ealing Bridges Federation, we believe that high-quality Relationships, Health and Sex Education (RSE) is central to safeguarding, pupils’ personal development and their long-term emotional, social and physical wellbeing.
The aims of relationships and sex education (RSE) at our federation are to:
Our RSE curriculum is rooted in our federation values and contributes directly to our work on:
As a maintained primary school, we must provide relationships education to all pupils under section 34 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017.
We are not required to provide sex education, but we do need to teach the elements of sex education contained in the science curriculum.
In teaching RSE, we must have regard to guidance issued by the secretary of state, as outlined in section 403 of the Education Act 1996.
We also have regard to legal duties set out in:
RSE and Health Education are also informed by, and contribute to, our safeguarding responsibilities under:
At the Ealing Bridges Federation, we teach RSE as set out in this policy.
For the purpose of this policy:
RSE is about the emotional, social and cultural development of pupils, and involves learning about relationships, sexual health, sexuality, healthy lifestyles, diversity and personal identity.
RSE involves a combination of sharing information and exploring issues and values.
RSE is not about the promotion of sexual activity.
Some aspects of sex education are statutory through the science curriculum (e.g. human life cycles, reproduction). Parents do not have the right to withdraw their child from statutory science content (see section 9).
RSE is about the emotional, social and cultural development of pupils and involves learning about relationships, sexual health, sexuality, healthy lifestyles, diversity and personal identity. It:
The Department for Education and Ofsted have clearly outlined aspects of Relationships Education that are statutory in all primary schools, therefore some recommendations or comments made during the consultation process may not be reflected in the final policy as our school has to ensure we are meeting statutory guidelines.
This policy has been developed in collaboration with staff and parents. The steps taken to review the policy are as follows.
Review – a member of school staff/members of the Relationships Education working party looked through the existing Relationships Education policy as well as local and national guidance for Relationships Education. The working party then reviewed the Relationships Education policy reflecting any advice and changes at local and national level.
Staff consultation –Staff were consulted via a staff meeting of the changes to education policy and also consulted regarding the support needed to implement the new curriculum. Also, all staff were sent the draft policy in advance of the staff meeting and were then invited to comment on the policy and make suggestions/amendments.
Parent engagement – Parents were engaged through workshops with members of the working party and Ealing PSHE team. Throughout the development of the new policy and curriculum, parents were invited to attend workshops to inform them of changes and discuss viewpoints and issues. Parents were given the opportunity to look through the policy, schemes of work and offer comments/suggestions. This was through Virtual sessions.
Pupil consultation – We consulted with pupil via the 2019 Health Related Behaviour Survey. The results of this survey were then used to inform the policy and inform the delivery of RSE in our school.
Governor consultation – Governors were consulted on this policy via a governor meeting and as part of the working party. All governors were sent the draft policy in advance of a committee meeting and were then invited to comment on the policy and make suggestions/amendments.
Ratification – once amendments were made, the policy was shared with governors and ratified. The policy was then ratified by the governing body.
Our RSE curriculum is set out as per Appendices 1 and 2, but we may need to adapt it as and when necessary. We may adapt the curriculum over time in response to pupil need, local priorities or updated statutory guidance, but any core changes will be shared with parents and carers in advance.
We have developed the curriculum in consultation with parents and carers, pupils and staff, and taking into account the age, developmental stage, needs (such as cultural and religious needs) and feelings of our pupils. If pupils ask questions outside the scope of this policy, teachers will respond in an appropriate manner so that pupils are fully informed and don’t seek answers online.
We will share all curriculum materials with parents and carers on request.
Core curriculum and resources
At Ealing Bridges Federation:
Sequencing and coherence
The curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that:
Inclusivity and equality
Our curriculum:
RSE is taught within the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum, complemented and reinforced by:
Biological aspects of RSE are taught within the science curriculum, and other aspects are included in religious education (RE).
The school will make sure that:
Relationships education focuses on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships including:
Primary sex education will focus on:
Throughout each year group we will use appropriate material to assist learning, such as:
Teachers will make sure that all pupils’ views are listened to and will encourage them to ask questions and engage in discussion. Teachers will answer questions sensitively, honestly and appropriately for the age of the pupils.
The programme will be designed to focus on boys as much as girls, and activities will be planned to make sure both are actively involved.
The school will make sure that all teaching and materials are appropriate for the ages and needs of the pupils including any additional needs, such as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
At all points of delivery of the curriculum, the school will consult parents and carers, and their views will be valued. What will be taught and how will be planned in conjunction with parents and carers.
For more information about our RSE curriculum, see Appendices 1 and 2.
We may amend our curriculum content to respond to the needs and context of our pupils, to discuss issues affecting them in an age-appropriate manner. We will inform parents and carers of any deviation from our published policy in advance, and share any relevant materials on request.
These areas of learning are taught within the context of family life, taking care to make sure that there is no stigmatisation of children based on their home circumstances (i.e. families can include single-parent families, same-sex parents, families headed by grandparents, adoptive parents and foster parents among other structures), along with reflecting sensitively that some children may have a different structure of support around them (for example, looked-after children, young carers or kinship carers).
Across our school, we will also be mindful of the law and legal requirements, taking care not to condone or encourage illegal activity, such as violent action against people, criminal damage to property or hate crime.
Parents/carers do not have the right to withdraw their child from relationships education.
Parents and carers do have the right to request that their child is withdrawn from the non-statutory elements of sex education within RSE, which at Ealing Bridges Federation are taught in Year 6 and cover:
Requests for withdrawal should:
Before granting a request, the Headteacher will:
In the event of withdrawal:
If a parent or carer withdraws their child from sex education lessons, we cannot guarantee that the child will not hear about lesson content from peers (e.g. on the playground or outside school). By withdrawing pupils from these lessons, there is a risk that they may seek information from unreliable or inappropriate sources (e.g. older peers, the internet), which may be inaccurate or unsafe.
Alternative schoolwork will be given to pupils who are withdrawn from sex education.
Approved by
Governing Body on 25th November 2025
Last reviewed on:
November 2025
Next review due by:
November 2026