Relationships and sexuality education (RSE) is a statutory requirement in the Curriculum for Wales framework and is mandatory for all learners from ages 3 to 16.

 

Please note that the information included below is taken from Hwb, Welsh Government and can be found in full using this link:

Cross-cutting themes for designing your curriculum - Hwb

RSE has a positive and empowering role in learners’ education and plays a vital role in helping learners to form and maintain a range of relationships, all based on mutual trust and respect. These relationships are critical to the development of emotional well-being, resilience and empathy.

An understanding of sexuality with an emphasis on rights, health, equality and equity empowers learners to understand themselves, take responsibility for their own decisions and behaviours, and form relationships that are fully inclusive, reflecting diversity and promoting respect.

Schools and settings have an important role to play in creating safe and empowering environments that support learners’ rights to enjoy fulfilling, healthy and safe relationships throughout their lives. This is critical to building a society which treats others with understanding and empathy, whatever their ethnicity, social economic background, disability, or sex, gender or sexuality.

Why is RSE so important?

The world around us is evolving rapidly and significantly. As a society we are becoming ever more aware of:

• changing family structures and relationships
• shifting social, cultural and religious norms in relation to sex, gender and sexuality
• advances in technology including the rising influence of social media and increased use of digital communications and devices
• changing laws and rights around relationships, sex, gender and sexuality

Designing the RSE Curriculum Coverage

There are three interlinking strands. These progress in terms of content:

• Relationships and identity: helping learners develop the skills they need to develop healthy, safe, and fulfilling relationships with others and helping them to make sense of their thoughts and feelings.
• Sexual health and well-being: helping learners to draw on factual sources regarding their sexual and reproductive health and well-being, allowing them to make informed decisions throughout their lives.
• Empowerment, safety and respect: helping to protect learners from all forms of discrimination, violence, abuse and neglect and enabling them to recognise unsafe or harmful relationships and situations, supporting them to recognise when, how and where to seek support and advice.

Inclusivity, including LGBTQ+ inclusivity

In line with the mandatory requirements of the RSE Code, RSE will be realised in a way that is inclusive in accordance with the principles of equality. This helps ensure that all learners can see themselves, their families, their communities and each other reflected across the curriculum and can learn to value difference and diversity as a source of strength. This contributes to a cohesive, fair and equitable society that equips learners with skills for life. This of course includes gender equity and lesbian, gay, bisexual/bi, transgender/trans people, queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) inclusivity.  

Learners are growing up in a world where gender and sexual identity, cultures, rights and legislation are changing or evolving around the world. In order to be effective, inclusive RSE must start early. From a young age learners can learn about their own uniqueness, how to appreciate diversity and respect the rights of others. This is the foundation for exploring diversity in relationships, gender and sexual identity and for developing the skills and values needed to think critically about gender and sexual norms, rights and inequities. This should include consideration of a range of influences that shape our values and identity. It should help learners to develop understanding of different values, religious beliefs and non-religious convictions that can inform our values and identity around relationships and sexuality.

Responding to learners’ needs, experiences, and evolving knowledge

The RSE Code sets out each strand of teaching and learning in three broad developmental phases as follows:

• • Phase 1: from age 3
  • Phase 2: from age 7
  • Phase 3: from age 11

In order to see what content coverage includes at each age, please click on the links below:

Relationships and Identity strand

Sexual health and well-being strand

Empowerment, safety and respect strand