PSHE and RSE Parent Zone

What will my child learn?

What is RSE & PSHE?

RSE stands for Relationships and Sex Education. PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education and often includes Citizenship.

Together, RSE & PSHE support pupils to understand themselves, their relationships with others and the world around them. Through this learning, pupils develop the knowledge and skills needed to build healthy relationships, care for physical and mental wellbeing, understand their role in society and stay safe in a range of situations, including online.

A group of primary school children walking and talking in a school corridor

Why teach RSE & PSHE?

RSE & PSHE support pupils’ wellbeing, relationships and safety, meeting statutory guidance. Key areas include:

Relationships Education (families, friendships, respect, positive relationships).
Health Education (physical and mental health, healthy lifestyles, safety).

While skills like resilience and communication are sometimes assumed to develop naturally, varying home and world experiences mean this is not always the case. Explicit RSE & PSHE teaching ensures all pupils learn and practise these skills (e.g. managing emotions, communication, decision-making) in a structured way.

RSE & PSHE create a safe space for pupils to ask questions, explore ideas and reflect on real-life situations. Revisiting key themes each year allows learning to build gradually, helping pupils develop confidence, understanding and strategies for everyday life.

What if I have concerns about aspects of RSE or PSHE?

Kapow Primary’s RSE & PSHE curriculum is carefully planned by specialists to gradually build age-appropriate understanding. Learning is designed to meet the Government’s statutory guidance by the end of primary school.

Some content, such as learning correct body part names and personal boundaries, is important for safeguarding and helps pupils communicate their worries or seek support.

For specific questions or concerns, contact your child’s teacher or the RSE & PSHE subject leader. They can explain their approach, answer questions and share relevant resources.

Parents and teacher talking with a young pupil about their work during a school meeting

Working together to support your child

How does a good RSE & PSHE curriculum support my child?

Our well-planned and carefully taught RSE & PSHE curriculum supports pupil's wellbeing in the following areas:

Confidence – helping pupils understand emotions, recognise strengths and express themselves, benefiting them in school and daily life.
Self-regulation – developing strategies to manage behaviour and respond to challenges by learning about emotions, choices and consequences.
Relationships – teaching about friendships, communication and conflict resolution to build stronger, more respectful relationships.
Empathy – encouraging understanding of different perspectives and experiences.
Respect – contributing to a positive, respectful environment and helping pupils recognise the impact of their words and actions.

Three schoolboys in uniform sitting on outdoor steps talking together.

How can I support my child with their learning in RSE & PSHE?

Knowing what and when your child is learning in RSE & PSHE is the best starting point for support. Please see our curriculum overview.

RSE & PSHE learning often links closely to everyday situations at home and school. For example:

Food and health – conversations at mealtimes can help children understand how different foods support their bodies.
Resilience – adults can encourage children to keep going when something feels difficult and reflect together on how challenges are managed.
Friendships and relationships – everyday situations can provide opportunities to talk about kindness, fairness and resolving disagreements.
Feelings and emotions – adults can support children to name and talk about how they feel in different situations.
Keeping safe, including online – real-life examples can be used to discuss choices, boundaries and where to seek help.

RSE & PSHE focuses on real-life skills; everyday moments at home are valuable opportunities for children to practise and make sense of what they learn at school.

What if my child asks a question I'm not sure how to answer?

It is normal to feel unsure about answering sensitive questions. It is also okay to say you are not sure, need time to think, will find out together or need to seek school guidance.

Simple, honest and age-appropriate answers are best; you do not need to provide lots of detail or have all the answers straight away.

If you have concerns or would like support, speak to your child’s teacher or the RSE & PSHE subject leader; we can explain our approach and share resources. The most important thing is that children feel listened to, reassured and know they can ask a trusted adult.

What if I have any queries about how RSE & PSHE are taught?

Much of what Forestdale teaches is guided by the Government’s statutory requirements. Reviewing the statutory guidance can clarify what all state schools must teach and often answer any questions.

Forestdale has a RSE & PSHE policy, which outlines our approach, including how sensitive topics are covered and any additional content. This policy is typically reviewed every few years, with parents and carers consulted.

For specific questions or concerns, contact your child’s teacher or the RSE & PSHE subject leader. They can explain their approach, answer questions and share relevant resources.

A smiling member of school staff, holding some exercise books, outside the building.

Sex education in Year 6

Sex education at primary school focuses on helping pupils develop accurate knowledge, use respectful language and understand reproduction and parenthood in an age-appropriate way, before misconceptions can develop.

Forestdale chooses to teach Kapow Primary’s optional Year 6 Sex education unit, the learning includes:

Using correct scientific vocabulary to name and describe the functions of the male and female external reproductive organs.
Understanding, in simple terms, how a baby is conceived and born, including how humans reproduce through sexual intercourse.
Knowing that reproduction happens when a sperm and an egg join together to make a baby.
Understanding that pregnancy begins when a fertilised egg develops in the uterus and that a baby usually develops there for around nine months.
Learning that birth is the process by which a baby is delivered from the uterus, usually through the vagina or sometimes by caesarean section.
Knowing that there are different ways people can become parents, including through IVF and adoption.
Understanding that babies need constant care and that becoming a parent involves responsibility, time and support.

Parents and carers have the right to withdraw their child from these lessons (see below for further information).

Teaching Sex education

Kapow Primary uses a range of carefully considered teaching approaches to deliver Sex education learning.

Animated videos, created by Kapow Primary with sex education experts and professional animators, explain key concepts clearly and sensitively, using age-appropriate visuals that help pupils feel comfortable with sensitive topics.

Kapow Primary recommends that schools teach Sex education at the end of Year 6, when pupils are more mature, have already completed statutory learning about growing up and puberty and are learning in an established class environment. This timing also supports pupils as they prepare for the transition to secondary school.

Lessons are well-structured and respectful, with clear ground rules and age-appropriate language. Pupils are given safe opportunities to ask questions, including through a question box, which allows them to ask anonymously if they wish. Teachers are advised to respond sensitively, using a calm and factual approach.

Parents' right to withdrawal

If your child’s school has chosen to teach Sex education, you may still feel it is not appropriate for your child. If this is the case, it can be helpful to consider the reasons many schools include Sex education in Year 6. These include:

Ensuring children receive accurate, age-appropriate information before misconceptions or misinformation develop.
Helping pupils feel prepared and confident as they approach the transition to secondary school.
Supporting respectful language and understanding around bodies, relationships and reproduction.
Reducing anxiety by addressing questions in a calm, factual and supportive way.

Parents and carers have the right to view lesson resources and discuss content with staff, which can often provide reassurance on how topics are taught and the level of detail included.

Parents and carers also have the right to withdraw their child from Sex education lessons and be provided with alternative lessons during this time. For schools following Kapow Primary’s RSE & PSHE curriculum, this applies only to the optional Year 6 sex education unit. It does not apply to the following statutory areas:

Science lessons covering human life cycles (taught in Year 5).
RSE & PSHE learning about growing up and puberty, including naming body parts, menstruation and physical changes during puberty (taught in Years 2, 4 and 5).

If you are considering withdrawing your child, please see the our RSE & PSHE policy which outlines the process and who to contact.

Forestdale Primary School