Helping Parents Understand How RSHE is a Good Thing and Helps Protect Children

As you know – it’s a statutory requirement to let parents know what’s being taught in RSHE.

At the FPA we understand the need to do this in a simple way that provides peace of mind.

It’s also tricky for schools to constantly communicate about RSHE, but we’re here to help you.

New Parents Area for RSHE

We have developed a new parents guide that is easily found via the main menu of the fpa.org.uk.

Responsible Relationships, Sex & Heath Education in Primary Schools – RSHE FAQs:

Q) Are children shown pornographic material?
A) No, never, they are children. The Family Planning Association takes a responsible approach. Children should be helped, protected and only taught age appropriate lessons.

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Q) Who marks your homework? And how do you ensure lessons are “age appropriate”?
A) The Family Planning Association has implemented a 4 stage process:

1. Materials are initially written by teachers
2. Any sex education lessons are reviewed and updated by medical experts
3. Lessons are then peer reviewed
4. Lessons are then re-checked to ensure they are still fully compliant with the National Curriculum

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Q) Is Relationship, Sex & Health Education really that important – shouldn’t children just concentrate on English and maths?
A) There’s no question that English and maths are critical building blocks.
Likewise, the clear evidence is that High Quality RSHE is like other education. It helps children and young people navigate the world, make informed choices, and develop critical thinking skills.
For details – see our Sex Education Benefits and Statistics page.

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Q) Can I take a closer look at the Yasmine and Tom lessons?
A) Yes please. You can see the 31 lesson plans here and you can also meet Yasmine and Tom in their introduction video above.

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Q) Can I opt my child out of sex education?

A) The NHS states “it’s perfectly normal for puberty to begin at any point between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys.“

Parents:

• cannot withdraw their child from ‘relationships’ education as this is a legal requirement.
• cannot withdraw their child from sex education that is part of the science curriculum e.g. ‘external body parts’ and ‘the human body as it grows from birth to old age (including puberty)’.
• can withdraw their child from any additional sex education.

Where schools use the FPA lesson plans there are 4 of these additional sex education lessons:

• They are age appropriate and taught in year 6 (10-11 year olds)
• They are clearly marked on the lesson plan below

If opting your child out – the FPA strongly suggests that parents teach sex education at home.

Although in an ideal world – children would get these important lessons at home and at school.

 

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Meet Yasmine and Tom! 

Animation, sound and touch-screen activities bring the characters Yasmine and Tom to life.

Age appropriate lessons help Yasmine and Tom cover the full curriculum including relationships, families, friendships, diversity, the body, online and offline safety and much more.

Discover peace of mind and a safe pair of hands so children can learn and grow.

Yasmine and Tom Example 1: The Introduction Video

i.e. video shown to pupils aged 5 to 7, i.e. to introduce them to Yasmine and Tom.

Yasmine and Tom Example 2: Different Families

An “interaction” from Lesson 3 in Module 1, i.e. for  5 to 7 year olds. Note that you can interact here too and see the lesson progress (needs sound).

Yasmine and Tom Example 3: Periods (menstruation)

An interaction from Module 3, i.e. for  9 to 11 year olds.  Again, you can  interact here too and see the lesson progress (needs sound).