The vision for the provision of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) at Cansfield is to provide accurate information to enable our students to make positive and informed choices regarding their relationships and their current and future sexual decisions and sexual health. We are determined that a challenging and informative curriculum, that is taught by specialist RSE teachers, will give our students a robust foundation to enable them to form positive relationships and make positive, lifelong decisions that will benefit their futures.
Such is the importance of a robust and challenging RSE curriculum, that at Cansfield we were early adopters of the updated government statutory framework Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (2021). We are continually assessing and evaluating our curriculum to ensure that we will always meet our aim of enabling our students to make positive and informed decisions.
Our KS3 curriculum is designed to give students age appropriate information about the changes that they will face during puberty, the meaning of consent, an introduction to managing risk, including risk online and an introduction to gender and sexuality. Students will be able to identify the characteristics of positive and negative relationships and as part of the Year 9 curriculum they will understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy as they will study contraception and sexual health. The Key Stage 3 curriculum is delivered as part of the PSHE curriculum through one hour timetabled lessons every week.
The Key Stage 4 curriculum is challenging and age appropriate whilst also recognising that our older students will need to make different decisions regarding relationships. This curriculum is taught through a series of ‘Drop Down Days’ where students are taught by qualified RSE teachers as well as visiting speakers from different organisations. These may include the School Nursing Team, CAMHS, Spectrum and KOOTH. The units of work that are covered will include the importance of consent in healthy relationships, minimising risk and sexual health and wellbeing.
Both our KS3 and KS4 curriculum have been developed in line with best practice nationally and after consultation with parents through the Parent Advisory Board and through Parent Governors. As with all of our curriculum areas, we will continue to assess plan and reassess our RSE curriculum and ensure that we include all nationally recommended best practice, we firmly believe that this is the best way to ensure that our students are able to make positive decisions regarding their future decisions.
RSE is such an important part of the curriculum that we offer all of our students, however we fully appreciate that some parents may prefer to teach some of these areas. If you would like to withdraw your child from aspects of the RSE curriculum then please complete the withdrawal form. If you would like to discuss this further then please contact Helen Cashman h.cashman@cansfield.wigan.sch.uk or Craig Lomas c.lomas@cansfield.wigan.sch.uk.
