Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is all about supporting young people to have happy, healthy relationships and personal lives, both now and in the future. All students at New River College have weekly RSHE lessons.
RSHE helps pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. It also helps them to manage many of the most critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up – from making responsible decisions about alcohol to succeeding in their first job.
We work with external organisations such as Islington Drug and Alcohol Specialist Service and Camden and Islington Young People’s Sexual Health Network to support curriculum provision and signpost local sources of help and advice.
For more information on RSHE teaching, click here.
Click on the link to view the RSHE curriculum map.
We follow the National Curriculum, and at Key Stage 3, RSHE education acknowledges and addresses the changes that young people are experiencing, including the challenges of adolescence and their increasing independence. It teaches the skills that will equip them for the opportunities and challenges of life. Pupils are encouraged to manage diverse relationships and the increasing influence of peers and the media. RSHE allows them to be more confident in addressing the challenges of effective learning and making a full and active contribution to society.
All lessons are based on the following ground rules in order to ensure that pupils feel safe and comfortable to explore potentially sensitive topics in a classroom setting:
Topics covered at KS3 include:
The RSHE curriculum aims to balance the need to be proactive in addressing key issues around health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world, as well as providing the space to be reactive to the needs and concerns of our cohort of young people.
We recognise that there may be gaps in young people’s RSHE learning from previous schools and that students join us at different points, so key topics, for example, Relationships and Sex Education and Drugs Education, are revisited during the year.
Additional support is provided in conversation with Learning Assistants in lessons. Young people who are identified as needing additional support with RSHE topics in relation to their personal lives are referred to appropriate specialist organisations/ professionals, for example, Islington Drug and Alcohol Specialist Service and Camden and Islington Young People’s Sexual Health Network.
RSHE is not an accredited course but is a National Curriculum entitlement for all young people.
RSHE learning is enriched with workshops from external organisations such as the Islington Integrated Gangs Team, Brook and the Sunflower Project. We make the most of opportunities offered by the borough to take RSHE learning outside the classroom, for example, through theatre performances and drama workshops exploring RSHE issues.
Upon entry: baseline discussion.
During term: written and verbal formative feedback from the teacher with opportunities to develop work further.
There is no summative assessment for RSHE.