Relationship and Sex Education is embedded within the PSHE curriculum at PCHS. It is also taught as stand-alone topic developing the pupils’ knowledge as they move through school and gain the maturity to manage sensitive topics.

The aim of Relationship and Sex Education at PCHS is to give our young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds, not just intimate relationships. It aims to support them to know what a healthy relationship looks like and what makes a good friend, a good colleague and a successful marriage or other type of committed relationship. It also covers contraception, developing intimate relationships and resisting pressure to have sex (and not applying pressure). It also teaches what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in relationships. This will help our pupils to know the positive effects that good relationships have on their mental wellbeing, identify when relationships are not right and know how such situations can be managed, also where and support can be gained.

The statutory RSE curriculum is taught in topics and repeated throughout key stages 3 and 4 to scaffold knowledge and develop pupils’ awareness in line with their cognitive abilities and maturity whilst offering a broad and balanced curriculum. To ensure teaching is effective, the topics are broken down into units of manageable size and communicated clearly to pupils, in a carefully sequenced way, within a planned programme. Teaching will include sufficient well-chosen opportunities and contexts for pupils to embed new knowledge so that it can be used confidently in real-life situations.

Relationship and Sex Education at PCHS are taught as discrete lessons in key stages 3 and 4. At key stage 3, students will cover: Families and people who care for me, Consent, Caring friendships, Respectful relationships, Online relationships, The changing adolescent body, Public and Private

At key stage 4, pupils are taught: Consent, Respectful relationships and friendships, Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health.

The impact of RSE is lifelong for pupils to embrace the challenges of creating a happy and successful adult life, for pupils to have an awareness and knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships and to build their self-efficacy. For pupils to use this knowledge and put it into practice as they develop the capacity to make sound decisions when facing risks, challenges. Everyone faces difficult situations in their lives. These subjects can support young people to build resilience, know-how and when to ask for help, and know where to access support.

The high quality, evidence-based and age / cognitive-appropriate teaching of PHSE will support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development both during their time at school and in wider society. It will also promote British values: Democracy, Rule of Law, Respect and Tolerance and Individual Liberty.

Pupils will have opportunities to celebrate successes at the end of key stage 4. The units gained through RSE will support pupils achieving one of the following at entry level: an award, certificate, extended award or an extended certificate through Agored Cymru exam board Wales or AQA unit awards.