Sex and Relationship Education
SRE at Grove Street
From 2021 there will be a mandatory requirement for schools to provide Relationships, Health and Social Education (RHSE) from Reception to Year 6. RSHE is learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up.
As a school we have adopted the Christopher Winter Project as a method of teaching the relationships aspect of the curriculum across the school. The Christopher Winter Project provides a series of age appropriate lessons which will be delivered by a teacher that your child is familiar with. Attached is a list of subject areas covered in each year group.
We are aware that this can uncover sensitive issues; in order to create a ‘safe’ environment for the children to learn we will set class rules and expectations for these lessons with the children, these will include rules similar to:
- No personal questions to be asked
- Show respect for the views of others
- Use appropriate language
- Only talk about what has been discussed in class with children of the same age or older.
- No promotion of any particular lifestyles or sexuality
We are confident that you will support your child during these teaching sessions, which will take place in the Summer term. Please find a list of lesson content for each year group and a few example lessons.
Curriculum Overview – Christopher Winter Project
Reception Lesson 1: Our day
Lesson 2: Keeping ourselves clean
Lesson 3: Families
Year 1 Lesson 1: Keeping clean
Growing and Lesson 2: Growing and changing
Caring for ourselves Lesson 3: Families and Care
Year 2 Lesson 1: Differences: Boys and Girls
Differences Lesson 2: Differences: Male and Female
Lesson 3: Naming the body parts
Year 3 Lesson 1: Differences: Male and Female
Valuing difference and Lesson 2: Personal space
Keeping safe Lesson 3: Family Differences
Year 4 Lesson 1: Growing and changing
Growing up Lesson 2: Body changes and reproduction
Lesson 3: What is puberty?
Year 5 Lesson 1: Talking about puberty
Puberty Lesson 2: Male and female changes
Lesson 3: Puberty and hygiene
Year 6 Lesson 1: Puberty
Puberty Lesson 2: Male and female changes Lesson 3: Puberty and hygiene
Reception – example lesson
Learning Intention
To recognise that all families are different
Resources
The Family Book, Todd Parr
Families pictures
Paper for drawing pictures
Learning Outcomes
Identify different members of the family
Understand how members of a family can help each other
1. Ground rules and recap
In a circle, remind the children about ground rules - what rules do we need for behaving in a circle? Ask the children what they remember about keeping clean. Why do we need to keep clean? Keeping clean helps us keep healthy.
2. All Families Are Different
Explain that today’s session is about the people in our family who help us. Introduce The Family Book or a similar resource about families, to illustrate difference. Discuss the content briefly: Give an example of when members of a family might live far from each other. What is
a stepmum or a stepdad? What sort of celebration is the family having? Remind the children that every family is special, no matter what kind it is.
3. Family Members
Working with their talk partners/small groups, ask the class to think of as many different family members as possible.
Collect ideas from the class. Show some Families pictures on the whiteboard and ask the class which family members are shown in each picture.
4. Family Drawings
At tables, give each child a piece of paper and a pencil and ask them to draw a picture of a family; it can be their own family or one of the families shown on the whiteboard. Circulate and support individuals as necessary and ask them to think about how the family members they have drawn might help each other at home.
Bring the children back to the carpet and ask them to present their pictures. Ask the children to suggest ideas for how we help each other in our family: think of what we talked about in the first two lessons – washing, dressing,cleaning, eating/preparing meals, playing/reading. What does your family help you with? What do you help with in your family?
5. Review and Close
Mime some of the different actions mentioned in the lessons (brushing your teeth, washing your hair, having a shower, eating breakfast). Ask the children to sign with their thumbs up if they do this activity themselves or with their thumbs down if someone helps them with this activity. Summarise the lesson: families can be different in lots of ways; everyone in a family can do things to help each other. Helping each other makes us feel good.
Suggested Reading
All Kinds of Families! Mary Ann Hoberman
I’ll take you to Mrs Cole, Nigel Gray
Family Drawing
Ask the children to draw a picture of an activity they do with their family (e.g. going for a day out; having a meal
together) or an activity to help their family (e.g. washing the car, laying the table).
Freeze Frames
Ask the class to all stand up and adopt a freeze position to show a helping activity, e.g. tidying up, making the bed,
cleaning the table. Explain that you will put some music on and when it starts, they should start doing the activity to the music. When the music stops, ask them to think of another helping activity and adopt a new freeze position. Repeat two or three more times.
Year 3– example lesson
Learning Intention
To consider touch and to know that a person has the right to say what they like and dislike
Resources
A bag of textured objects to touch, for example sandpaper, cotton wool, play dough, silky material, a pebble etc.
Year 3 Problem Pages
Learning Outcomes
Identify different types of touch that people like and do not like
Understand personal space
Talk about ways of dealing with unwanted touch
1. Recap and ground rules
In a circle, ask the class to remember the ground rules from the last session. Ask them what are the main physical differences between males and females? What are the similarities? How are we all unique?
2. Wordstorm
Discuss the learning outcomes, asking for examples of the ways people touch each other. Write the word Touch in the middle of the whiteboard. In pairs, ask the children to think of as many words for different types of touch as possible – pleasant as well as unpleasant, e.g. push, hug, scratch and kiss. Accept the words and write them on the board. Ask the children which touches they like and do not like. Ask whether it makes a difference who is
touching them and why? For instance do they like to be hugged by everyone or only by certain people?
Emphasise that everyone is different, and it is important to know what each of them likes or dislikes. Everyone has
the right to say what is ok and what is not ok.
3. Bag of objects
In a circle, pass the objects around one by one and ask the children to decide which objects they like to touch and which they dislike. Ask them to vote on each object. Find out why people liked or disliked the feel of each object and reinforce that different people like different things.
4. Personal space and warning signs
Demonstrate personal space with another adult. One is A and the other is B. A begins a conversation but is standing too close to B. B says “No, you’re standing too close can you move back please”. A takes a small step back.
B repeats the request. Repeat until A and B are at least at arms length. Ask the class how they think B felt. What
are the physical warning signs when a person feels uncomfortable?
5. Problem page
Explain what a problem page is and say that you have some examples of letters that people might write asking for advice. Using the Year 3 Problem Pages read out letter number one and ask the class for suggestions of how to help. In groups answer the other two problems, half the class working on problem 2 and the other half on problem 3. Feedback as a class and include the following suggestions:
• Ask the person to stop • Tell an adult they trust
• Move away from the person • Tell another adult if the first one doesn’t believe them
6. Review
Re-cap on the learning outcomes and congratulate the group on the advice they gave in the problem page activity.
Year 6 – Example lesson
Learning Intention
To explore the process of conception and pregnancy
Resources
How does a baby start? cards (one set per group)
How does a baby start? whiteboard summary
Learning Outcomes
Describe the decisions that have to be made before having a baby
Know some basic facts about conception and pregnancy
1. Ground rules and re-cap
In a circle, remind the class of the ground rules for this lesson. Ask the children what they remember about relationships and reproduction from the last lesson.
2. Learning Outcome
Refer to the learning outcomes on the whiteboard and discuss what they mean. Check that the children understand the meaning of the words conception and pregnancy.
3. Relationship Timeline
Explain that the class is going to create a sequence/timeline on the board which describes the different stages in a relationship that could lead to having a baby and starting a family. Draw a timeline on the board, marking the left hand end Meet someone special and the right hand end Decide to have a baby. In pairs, ask the children to discuss what they think needs to happen before two people decide to have a baby. Alternatively, ask small groups
to make their own timelines using masking tape and post-its.
As a whole class, share ideas and record these on the board as a sequence or timeline. Ask pupils to suggest the period of time covered by the timeline – i.e. how long would such a relationship take to develop before the couple would be ready to start a family? Acknowledge diversity and difference in adult relationships by accepting a range of ideas; consider that some people might have a baby on their own – what would their timeline look like? What
would they need? Emphasise that different timelines and sequences will be appropriate for different people.
4. How Does a Baby Start? Sequencing Activity
To introduce this activity, explore briefly how the class might feel about looking at the drawings of bodies and sexual intercourse and discuss strategies to help them manage their feelings during the activity. In small groups,give out the How does a baby start? cards; one set per group. Ask the groups to sequence the cards in the correct order to show they have understood the conception process. As a whole group discuss and sequence the pictures
using the How does a baby start? whiteboard summary. Ensure pupils understand the words on each slide and check their understanding with the following questions:
• What does ‘touching each other in sexual ways’ mean? Only an adult couple in a relationship should touch each other’s private parts in this way.
• Why do you think sexual intercourse ‘should feel nice’? Ensure pupils understand the meaning of the word ‘consent’. An adult couple should agree/consent to have sexual intercourse and it should not be painful for the man or the woman.
• Where does the sperm meet the egg?
• What is the scientific word for when the sperm gets into the egg?
• What happens to the fertilized egg as it travels down towards the womb?
• For how long does the baby usually grow in the womb?
Ask the class if sexual intercourse is the only way to become pregnant or to have a family. Briefly discuss other options, such as IVF, sperm donors, fostering and adoption.
5. Anonymous Questions
Ensure that the anonymous questions written in the previous lesson have been typed up onto separate slips of paper. Give each pair of pupils a typed-up question and ask them to take a couple of minutes to discuss with their partner what the answer might be. Ask each pair to read out their question in turn and share any answer they have
come up with; correct any misunderstandings. There may be some questions that you need to answer yourself rather than asking the children. If you decide not to answer certain questions explain that some questions referred to topics that are not part of this group of lessons or have already been covered elsewhere.
6. Closing Round/Review
Discuss in pairs and/or finish with a closing round: One thing I’ve learnt about having a baby is...
Pregnancy Go-round
In pairs, ask the children to complete the sentence: One thing I know about pregnancy is… follow with a go-round.
Discuss the ideas raised in the go-round and clear up any misunderstandings.
Conception and Pregnancy Quiz
In pairs, complete the Conception and Pregnancy quiz. With the whole class, answer the questions using coloured cards for agree, disagree, don’t know. Use the Pictures of the male and female reproductive organs and the Conception and Pregnancy Quiz answers to support the discussion.
Conception and Pregnancy Statements
In small groups, ask the children to sort the five Conception and Pregnancy statements into true / false / don’t know.
As a whole class, answer the questions. Use the Pictures of male and female reproductive organs to support the answers. Show the class the spaghetti and poppy seeds, which represent the approximate size of the fallopian tubes and the female egg.
HIV Teaching Resource
Teaching and Learning about HIV, Simon Blake and Paula Power. Available to purchase from
www.ncb.org.uk/resources