Close

Relationships and sex education (RSHE)

At Bedlington Academy, we work hard to teach young people about relationships and the issues that surround them. Our Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum is delivered through assemblies, tutor time and our Personal Development days programme.

Our RSHE policy (found below) outlines our commitment to teaching young people about these important aspects of life and includes an overview of the content which is taught within school. We also have a governor responsible for overseeing RSHE and the school council who play a vital role in shaping and developing the RSE curriculum.      

What do students learn about? 

Under the new guidelines, there is now a greater focus on the importance of family life- this may be a traditional 'nuclear' family, a single-parent family, a same-sex family or other types of family. 

Students will be taught about understanding the importance of the family environment and its role in supporting and enabling them to develop into successful young people.

There will also be more focus on healthy and unhealthy aspects of all kinds of relationships including; friendships, parent/child, teacher/pupil, sexual, monogamous and polyamorous relationships. 

Statutory guidelines also encourage teachers to focus on heterosexual relationships and relationships within the LGBTQ+ community. 

Students at Bedlington Academy also learn about contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and understand where they can get support and guidance if they need it.

Students also need to develop an awareness of the positives and negatives of being online so they are taught about the dangers of grooming, the effect online platforms can have on mental health and the pressure of social media.