Intent
The RSHE curriculum is designed to equip all students with the knowledge, skills and values to lead safe, healthy, respectful and fulfilling lives, both now and in the future. It reflects a clear ambition to develop the whole child through three overarching themes:
- Understanding myself (wellbeing, health, identity)
- Understanding myself with others (relationships, intimacy, respect)
- Understanding myself within the world (citizenship, digital life, careers and finance)
At its core, the curriculum intends to:
a) Promote physical, emotional and mental wellbeing
Students develop a deep understanding of:
- Mental health and emotional regulation
- Physical health, lifestyle and self-care
- Risk, safety and personal responsibility
This begins with foundational knowledge (e.g. recognising emotions in Year 7) and builds to independence and self-management by Year 11.
b) Build safe, respectful and healthy relationships
The curriculum ensures all students can:
- Identify healthy and unhealthy relationships
- Understand consent, boundaries and communication
- Recognise and respond to harmful behaviours (e.g. abuse, exploitation, harassment)
It reflects statutory expectations and goes beyond them by addressing real-world issues such as pornography, online behaviours and power dynamics.
c) Prepare students for life in modern Britain and beyond
Students are supported to:
- Understand diversity, equality and rights
- Navigate digital spaces critically (misinformation, influence, data use)
- Make informed decisions about money, careers and future pathways
d) Develop transferable life skills
Across all strands, the curriculum prioritises:
- Critical thinking
- Risk management
- Emotional literacy
- Empathy and communication
These are explicitly taught and revisited through structured learning outcomes.
e) Ensure safeguarding and inclusivity
The curriculum is deliberately:
- Proactive in addressing safeguarding risks (e.g. FGM, exploitation, online harm)
- Inclusive, reflecting protected characteristics and diverse experiences
- Evidence-informed, aligned with statutory RSHE guidance
Implementation
a) Curriculum Structure
The programme follows a clear hierarchical model:
- Themes → Units → Strands → Lessons by Year Group
The programme is a spiral curriculum where learning is revisited and deepened over time.
Each strand contains:
- Clearly sequenced lessons
- Defined knowledge, skills and outcomes
- Links to statutory requirements and safeguarding priorities
b) Sequencing and Progression
The curriculum is carefully sequenced from Year 7 to Year 11, with progression in both knowledge and complexity:
Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9): Foundations
- Focus on awareness, vocabulary and basic skills
- Examples:
- Year 7: recognising emotions, basic safety, puberty
- Year 8: developing mindset, relationships, consent introduction
- Year 9: managing complexity (peer pressure, consent, exploitation)
Students move from:
“What is this?” → “How does this affect me?” → “How do I respond?”
Key Stage 4 (Years 10–11): Application and Independence
- Focus on decision-making, responsibility and real-life readiness
- Examples:
- Managing risk (substances, relationships, finances)
- Sexual health, fertility and parenthood
- Employment, independence and life beyond school
Students progress to:
“How do I apply this in real situations?” → “How do I make responsible decisions?”
c) Thematic Units
The curriculum is delivered through consistent units across all years, ensuring coherent coverage rather than isolated topics:
- Wellbeing
- Healthy Choices
- My Body & Me
- Healthy Relationships
- Healthy Intimate Relationships
- Identity & Community
- Digital Lives
- Aspiration & Money
d) Lesson Design and Delivery
- Lessons are discrete but sequenced within strands
- Each lesson includes:
- Clear knowledge outcomes
- Transferable skills (e.g. emotional regulation, risk assessment)
- Links to statutory guidance and safeguarding
Lessons can be:
- Core (covering statutory requirements)
- Greater Depth (extending understanding and application)
e) Safeguarding Through Curriculum
Safeguarding is embedded through:
- Explicit teaching of risks (e.g. gangs, exploitation, online harm)
- Development of reporting strategies and trusted networks
- Building confidence to seek help
Content is carefully scaffolded to ensure age-appropriateness and sensitivity.
Personal Development Learning Journey
Impact
The intended impact of the RSHE curriculum is that students leave school as:
a) Healthy and self-aware individuals
Students:
- Understand and regulate their emotions
- Develop resilience and positive self-esteem
- Make informed choices about physical and mental health
b) Safe and responsible decision-makers
Students:
- Recognise and manage risk
- Understand consent, boundaries and safeguarding
- Know how and where to seek support
c) Respectful and inclusive citizens
Students:
- Value diversity and challenge discrimination
- Build and maintain healthy relationships
- Contribute positively to their communities
d) Digitally literate and critical thinkers
Students:
- Understand online influence, misinformation and data use
- Manage their digital lives safely and responsibly
e) Prepared for adulthood
Students:
- Make informed choices about careers and finances
- Navigate healthcare, relationships and independence
- Understand rights, responsibilities and life transitions
f) Measurable Indicators of Impact
Impact is evidenced through:
- Increased student confidence in discussing sensitive issues
- Improved knowledge retention across strands via spiral learning
- Stronger safeguarding awareness and reporting behaviours
- Development of transferable skills (resilience, critical thinking)
- Alignment with statutory RSHE outcomes
Summary
This RSHE curriculum is:
- Ambitious – covering a wide breadth of real-world issues
- Coherently sequenced – through a spiral model across KS3 and KS4
- Skill-rich – not just knowledge-based
- Safeguarding-led – preparing students for modern risks
- Flexible and structured – adaptable to different school contexts
It ensures that all students are prepared not just academically, but socially, emotionally and practically for life beyond school.
Statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), along with Health Education is now statutory in secondary schools. As part of Lostock Hall Academy’s wider RSHE programme, your child will receive lessons on relationships, sexual health and personal safety.
The purpose of these lessons is to provide knowledge and understanding of safe and healthy relationships based on respect and are designed to help children from all backgrounds build positive and safe relationships, and to thrive in modern Britain.
Schools are required to consult with parents when developing and reviewing their policies for RSE, which will inform schools’ decisions on when and how certain content is covered. A copy of the policy can be found below. There is also a list of all RSE topics being covered in each Year group, along with information from Life Lessons, our resource programme. These lessons are age appropriate and cover all of the key areas set out by the Department of Education.
You do have a right to withdraw your child from sex education delivered as part of RSE in secondary schools but not from relationship education and we believe the content of these subjects is important for all children to be taught.
If you have any questions or would like to request more information about RSE, please contact Mrs Tucker via email n.tucker@lostockhallacademy.org
.jpg)