Teaching RSHE KS1 & KS2

What needs to be taught in RSE now that it is a statutory subject?

Since teaching Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) became statutory in September 2020 (with few schools teaching it as part of PSHE), schools have been given guidance that should help teachers navigate the avenues to successfully educate children and young people on relationships and sex education.

Statutory guidance will help you to navigate the avenues to successfully teach relationships and sex education but does not provide you with the resources or lesson plans needed to teach these crucial subjects – where do you start?

Teaching PSHE lessons, in particular RSE, can be challenging. However, it plays a vital role in safeguarding young people and teaching them the skills needed to navigate growing up in a safe space. Children are growing up in a world that has become increasingly complex and teaching them how to be healthy and safe in today’s challenging world is essential. RSE can equip children to manage these challenges and become successful and happy adults.

We recognise that the guidance doesn’t provide you with the resources or lesson plans needed to teach these statutory subjects, let us help you untangle the guidance and shed some light on what’s expected.

There are 6 key areas that need to be covered when teaching RSE.

Teaching about Families.

What key stages? Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2).

Families are the place we start to develop our value system and how we perceive the world around us. They are essential to children’s lives, but they must understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy family dynamics. They must also know how other families might have a different dynamic and why they must respect these differences.

Including the significant role of caring and stable families, the ways they might differ, and how to manage differences in a healthy way. Being able to identify unsafe family dynamics, how to report them, and where to go for help.

Discover more about teaching ‘families’, in our article on the fundamentals of teaching about families in RSHE.

Teaching Caring Relationships.

What key stages? Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2).

Friendships play a key role in making us feel happy and secure. There will be a number of reasons why we choose the friendships we do. Understanding the foundation of positive and healthy relationships and that good relationships are ones which make you feel secure and happy. Being taught the basic principles of caring relationships, like trust, respect, truthfulness, kindness, loyalty, support, and generosity will provide the necessary tools.

Knowing ways to identify a trusting relationship and the ones that might be unhealthy. Conflict resolution is also a significant part of establishing and managing caring relationships.

Learn more about teaching caring relationships in our article the essentials of teaching caring relationships in RSHE.

Education students on Respectful Relationships.

What key stages? Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2) & Upper Key Stage 2 (LKS2)

Being able to understand the significance of establishing and managing respectful relationships online or offline. When and how to expect respect from others and how to treat others with respect is an important aspect of life.

This should include self-respect and ways it can maintain our mental and physical well-being. This needs to be taught to include all types of bullying which may be encountered and the damaging impact this could have, and ways to get help if bullying is experienced or if a friend or another pupil is being bullied.

Learn more about teaching respectful relationships in our article Guidance on teaching Respectful Relationships. 

Teaching children about Online Relationships.

What key stages? Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2) & Upper Key Stage 2 (UKS2)

In a world where online interactions can’t be avoided and children as young as primary age are navigating the internet, it is essential to educate children on the associated benefits and dangers.  They must be taught the importance of being respected, reporting any bullying, the rules of staying safe and interpreting online behaviour.

The ability to identify any risks and harmful content and understand the various ways to report it are crucial to safeguarding. The way data is used and shared online, how it might never get deleted and the potential harm that comes with it must also be taught to help make the right choices regarding using the internet and forming online friendships.

Learn more about what to teach about online relationships.

Being Safe.

What key stages? Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Lower/Upper Key Stage 2 (LKS2/UKS2).

Boundaries are a must when it comes to friendships and interacting with others. The lesson plan should include taking care of their emotional and physical health as they meet more people and form relationships.

This must include the importance of privacy, why keeping secrets from caring family members can be damaging, the difference between right and wrong touch, and how to respond to unknown adults. Children must know how to identify and report unsafe interactions and touches to get the appropriate help.

Learn more about teaching students (children and young people) how to ‘be safe’.

Changing Adolescent Body.

What key stages? Upper Key Stage 2 (UKS2).

The major facts regarding puberty and how bodies will change, allowing pupils to be better prepared for the changes and have the correct information to transition through these phases with good mental health.

The lesson includes establishing awareness about emotional and physical changes they might experience and ways to manage them healthily. Being taught about the menstrual cycle and how to manage this, when to expect it and what to do when it arrives.

Learn more about teaching puberty, the changing adolescent body.

At FPA we are devoted to helping teachers tackle the difficult questions that children may ask.

Having disrupted the educational landscape with our interactive online RSHE resource that successfully engages children on difficult topics, Growing up with Yasmine and Tom was developed by teachers for teachers. This resource not only provides nourishing lesson plans that meet the national curriculum, it does so  through animation and fun activities. Teaching RSHE with Yasmine and Tom makes RSHE simple.

RSHE Lessons Plans in Compliance with Statutory Guidance.

Growing up with Yasmine and Tom by FPA offers 54 extensive lesson plans categorised into 6 modules. These lesson plans are suitable for Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2 (ages 5 to 11). They also comply with the statutory guidance, covering:

• Healthy and safe relationships, including intimate relationships, online relationships, and equality
• Sexual health and sex education

Relationships education is a crucial part of the overall curriculum in schools. Teachers (and schools) need to be prepared and equipped with the right resources to teach pupils effectively.

Teachers need the right RSHE lesson plans that comply with the statutory guidance. Growing up with Yasmine and Tom is an interactive online resource helping teachers deliver the best relationship education to children of different ages.

Yasmine and Tom is available in four different plan sizes based on the school size and how many teachers use the tool. It includes fun whiteboard activities to keep pupils engaged as they learn. You can try the free trial of Yasmine and Tom to get an idea of the lesson plans and resources available to the teachers and schools.

Helpful teaching aids and resources that support teaching pupils RSE throughout KS1 and KS2.

If you’d like to know more about our RSE literature for pupils, read our article everything you need to know about our ‘best in class’ RSE literature, designed to support teaching RSE in primary years.