Parent/Carer Consultation Regarding Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

Parent/Carer Consultation regarding Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

In the Summer Term of the 2021-22 academic year, we consulted parents/carers on the programme of Relationships and Sex Education that we deliver at Cheam High school. We greatly appreciated all feedback and input as we continue to seek to develop a curriculum for students which proactively supports and protects them as they make their journey towards becoming young adults.

We consulted parents/carers on our updated draft RSE Policy in May 2023. We greatly appreciated the response from all parents and carers who took the time to take part in our consultation and this has provided useful feedback for us. Individual enquiries have been responded to directly and where required, parents/carers have been contacted for further clarification where this has been requested. If you have any further questions about our RSE policy or any element of our RSE curriculum, please do not hesitate to email: life@cheam.sutton.sch.uk

Summary of Responses to RSE Consultation in June 2022 can be found here

Summary of Responses to RSE Consultation in June 2023 can be found here

 

The Department for Education has made teaching of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education compulsory in all secondary schools since September 2020 and Cheam was an early adopter of the new statutory requirements. However, due to the pandemic the compulsory implementation of this curriculum was delayed to Summer 2021.  Most of this programme is delivered through our Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education programme through LIFE lessons.

We have made updates to our curriculum for 2022-2023 to ensure that our curriculum explicitly educates our students about sexual abuse and sexual harassment following the Ofsted review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges in the wake of the Everyone's Invited website and the murder of Sarah Everard in 2021.

Part of our responsibility is to consult with you on our proposed sequence of delivery and take into account your feedback in our plans.  Although we must teach all of the topics that are included in our RSE curriculum, the order in which we teach them is negotiable.

Helpful information regarding the RSE curriculum:

Requirements as set out by the government.

RSE Secondary Expectations

 

The RSE section of the PSHE policy.

Cheam High School RSE Policy

The curriculum plan indicating proposed order and the age of students for the content proposed.

RSE Curriculum Plan 2023-24

 

Useful Links:

To further inform the feedback you may wish to provide, you may find the following links useful:

1.      Department for Education – Understanding Relationships, Sex and Health Education at your child’s secondary school: a guide for parents 

2.      Department for Education – Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education: FAQs

3.      Sex Education Forum – Frequently Asked Questions

4.      Sex Education Forum – SRE – The Evidence (March 2015)