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Relationship & Sex Education (RSE)

Our approach to RSE

At Tarporley CE Primary School, we believe that children flourish when they feel safe, valued, respected and confident in themselves and in their relationships with others.

Our Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum supports children to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to build positive relationships, respect themselves and others, understand how their bodies change as they grow and know how to keep themselves safe.

As a Church of England school, our Christian values underpin our approach. Love, Friendship, Trust, Hope, Forgiveness, Joy and Celebration help children to understand the importance of kindness, respect, responsibility, honesty and healthy relationships.

Our RSE curriculum is taught in an age-appropriate and sensitive way, taking account of children's developmental stage, individual needs and experiences.

What do we teach?

Our RSE curriculum helps children to understand:

• Families and people who care for us

• Caring friendships

• Respectful and kind relationships

• Personal boundaries and privacy

• Being safe

• Online safety and relationships

• Respect for themselves and others

• Physical and emotional changes as they grow

• Puberty and growing up

• Human reproduction and development through the Science curriculum

• How to recognise when something does not feel right and how and where to seek help

We want our children to develop the confidence to talk about their feelings, ask questions, set appropriate boundaries and seek help when they need it.

How is RSE taught?

RSE is not taught as a standalone subject. It forms part of our wider curriculum and is carefully woven through different areas of learning.

RSE is taught through:

PSHE – developing healthy relationships, emotional wellbeing, personal safety and understanding ourselves and others.

Science – teaching the statutory biological knowledge about humans, growth, development, reproduction and the changes that happen as we grow.

RE – exploring questions about relationships, values, responsibility and living well with others.

No Outsiders – using high-quality children's books to explore difference, inclusion, belonging, respect and relationships.

HeartSmart and KAPOW – supporting children's personal development, wellbeing, relationships and understanding of themselves and others.

Our teaching is carefully sequenced so that children revisit and build on their knowledge as they move through the school.

The power of books

At Tarporley CE Primary School, books are at the heart of our curriculum, and this is also an important part of our approach to RSE.

We use carefully selected, high-quality children's literature to provide meaningful and age-appropriate opportunities for children to explore themes such as:

• friendship

• family

• kindness

• respect

• identity

• difference

• belonging

• emotions

• relationships

• growing and changing

Our No Outsiders programme uses a carefully selected range of books across the school to help children understand that people and families can be different while recognising the importance of respect, kindness and inclusion.

Books provide a safe and familiar context for discussion and help children to develop the vocabulary and confidence to talk about relationships and feelings.

Growing, changing and puberty

As children move through Key Stage 2, they develop their understanding of how their bodies change as they grow.

In Years 5 and 6, children learn about puberty and the physical and emotional changes associated with growing up as part of our PSHE curriculum. This includes age-appropriate teaching about changes to the body, including menstruation, as well as the importance of personal hygiene, respect and seeking help when needed.

Biological aspects of reproduction and human development are taught through the Science curriculum, in line with the National Curriculum.

Working with parents and carers

We recognise that parents and carers play an important role in supporting their children as they grow and develop. We value an open and positive partnership between home and school.

Our RSE curriculum has been developed with consideration of the age, developmental stage, needs and feelings of our pupils. We are happy to share information about what is taught and provide curriculum materials and resources to parents and carers on request.

Parents and carers do not have the right to withdraw their child from Relationships Education or the statutory Science curriculum.

Parents and carers have the right to request withdrawal from any non-statutory components of Sex Education. At Tarporley CE Primary School, we do not teach non-statutory Sex Education beyond the content included within the National Curriculum for Science.

Keeping children safe

Keeping children safe is an important part of our RSE curriculum.

Children learn about personal space, privacy, appropriate boundaries, safe and unsafe contact, online safety and how to recognise when a relationship or situation may be harmful.

We teach children that their body belongs to them, that they have the right to feel safe and that they should talk to a trusted adult if something worries them or makes them feel uncomfortable.

Our RSE teaching is always delivered sensitively and appropriately for the age and needs of our pupils.

Our RSE curriculum

Our full RSE curriculum and progression can be found within our RSE Policy.

The curriculum is reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of our pupils and reflects our statutory responsibilities.

Download our Relationship and Sex Education Policy 2026–2027 below.

Further information

If you would like to find out more about our approach to Relationship and Sex Education, please see our Relationship and Sex Education Policy or contact the school office.

We are always happy to discuss our curriculum with parents and carers.