Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)
Relationships and Sexuality Education Progression Framework
RSE helps children and young people acquire age-appropriate knowledge, understanding and skills, and develop attitudes, beliefs and values about relationships, sexual identity and intimacy.
Effective RSE, which is taught in a sensitive and inclusive manner, encourages children and young people to value themselves as individuals and to make responsible and well-informed decisions about their lives.
RSE is a statutory part of the curriculum under the following Areas of Learning:
- Personal Development and Mutual Understanding in the Foundation Stage;
- Personal Development and Mutual Understanding at Key Stages 1 and 2;
- Personal Development and Home Economics statements of requirement for Learning for Life and Work at Key Stage 3; and
- Personal Development strand of Learning for Life and Work at Key Stage 4.
The RSE Progression Framework provides a non-statutory progression pathway in RSE from the Foundation Stage to post-16. It shows how the different themes cover the following priority areas of RSE:
The themes and associated content covered across the key stages in the framework build on the statutory requirements and are aligned to international evidence-based frameworks.
For primary (Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2), the themes are:
- Relationships;
- My Body and Development (Health, Growth and Change); and
- Safety and Wellbeing (Self-Awareness, Feelings and Emotions).
For post-primary (Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and post-16), the themes are:
- Self-Awareness;
- Relationships; and
- Health.