FAQs
What is SRE?
Where does it fit into the school curriculum?
Do we have to teach it?
What support is there available for putting together a good SRE policy?
Do I have to monitor and evaluate SRE?
How can I do this?
What is the correct protocol when having these visitors in the classroom?
Can you recommend some tried and tested classroom resources?
Is there anyone who can deliver a staff INSET on SRE?
How does SRE fit into the framework for the Healthy Schools Programme?
I have issues with the delivery of some topics, where do I stand?
Will OFSTED be interested in SRE in my school?
A Y9 pupil has approached me (her form tutor) to ask for advice about contraception. What should I do?
A 15 year-old pupil has come to see me (child protection officer). She wants advice on getting the morning-after pill. What should I do?
How can I find out the most up-to-date legislation about sex and relationships?
Some primary schools seem to do a lot of PSHE and SRE but others do very little. At KS3 where should I start?
A lot of the boys in my SRE classes act very immaturely and appear to be homophobic. How can I tackle this issue?
What is Accreditation in PSHE all about?
What is SRE?
‘It is lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance of marriage for family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care. It is also about the teaching of sex, sexuality, and sexual health. It is not about the promotion of sexual orientation or sexual activity – this would be inappropriate teaching’. (DfEE Guidance 0116/2000)
Where does it fit into the school curriculum?
Schools vary in the way that they deliver SRE in the classroom. Some SRE topics may be covered in science but it is the responsibility of the school to ensure that SRE also forms part of the PSHE programme of study. Good SRE is not confined to learning ‘the facts of life’ but is about exploring emotions, raising self-esteem and considering our relationships with others.
Many schools now understand the importance of having well-trained staff who feel comfortable with the teaching and learning style required for the successful delivery of the subject. To this end there may be a specialist team of staff and discrete PSHE lessons on the timetable.
Do we have to teach it?
It is necessary for schools to support the work of the parents in this area of development. Some factual aspects of SRE must be taught in science but this is not sufficient if the learning outcomes set out by QCA are to be met.
Parents do have the right to withdraw children from SRE lessons. Parents may not withdraw their children from science lessons.
What rights do parents have?
Parents may withdraw their child(ren) from discrete SRE lessons (not science). Parents must be involved in writing the school policy. They should be informed of the content of the SRE curriculum; this provides them with an opportunity to support the work covered in school.
What support is there available for putting together a good SRE policy?
Teachers can contact the Healthy Schools Team where there are model policy documents for schools of varying types.
Do I have to monitor and evaluate SRE?
Yes. It is important that monitoring be done, as for any subject. Staff need to be confident about their knowledge of the subject and need to set clear learning outcomes for their lessons. Pupils should have opportunities to evaluate the lesson content and teachers will need to carry out some forms of assessment. Pupils should be involved in some aspects of the planning of SRE. Line managers should be monitoring the staff who teach SRE.
How can I do this?
It is important that the member of staff responsible for co-ordinating SRE is given time to carry out performance management tasks, which include monitoring teaching and learning styles and use of materials, as well as evaluating the programme and its intended learning outcomes. Peer assessment, self-assessment and teacher assessment can be used to ascertain the effectiveness of teaching and as tools for reviewing the SRE programme. Co-ordinators should also arrange to meet with a pupil working-party when planning the curriculum.
What is the correct protocol when having visitors in the classroom?
Your school should have a visitor policy.
In the area of SRE it is important that any external agencies work within the guidelines of the SRE policy.
- You should be able to justify the use of the visitor i.e. is he/she adding value to the lesson content?
- You should never leave a visitor in sole charge of a class.
- Pupils should be given the opportunity to evaluate the content and method of the presentation.
- Visitors too may require feedback from staff and pupils.
Can you recommend some tried and tested classroom resources?
This is where the Healthy School Library and support service can be extremely valuable. It enables you to access resources such as books, DVDs and equipment, which could help to enhance your work in the classroom. The SRE catalogue of resources can be downloaded here.
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Is there anyone who can deliver staff INSET on SRE?
There are staff working at Swindon Healthy Schools who are able to deliver staff training for primary and secondary SRE. Please contact us.
How does SRE fit into the framework for the Healthy Schools Programme?
In the new Healthy Schools framework schools must fulfil criteria for four areas. The first one is PSHE including SRE and drugs education.
Please refer to the Criteria information for further details.
I have issues with the delivery of some topics, where do I stand?
If you are in a school where SRE is delivered through the tutor programme and you are uncomfortable about delivering any aspect of the programme you should refer to your line manager and PSHE co-ordinator. It is vitally important that pupils are given the correct opportunities to express themselves during these lessons. It might be the case that the school will have to re-think how SRE is to be delivered. OFSTED has reported that, not surprisingly, teachers who have been trained/wish to teach PSHE (inc. SRE) are meeting learning outcomes better than non-specialist form tutors. See the report on the OFSTED site.
Will OFSTED be interested in SRE in my school?
Refer to question above. The simple answer is ‘Yes’. With the new OFSTED criteria making use of the Every Child Matters document PSHE obviously has a major part to play in developing a good school ethos and caring for the emotional and physical wellbeing of our children.
A Y9 pupil has approached me (her form tutor) to ask for advice about contraception. What should I do?
Every school should have a confidentiality policy with which all members of staff should be familiar.
The general rule is that teachers cannot promise confidentiality. Teachers are unable to give contraceptive advice, which differs from discussing how contraception works and the issues surrounding different types of contraception. A pupil wanting this sort of advice should be referred to a school nurse, Outreach Nurse or one of the Youth Clinics on Carfax Street.
A 15 year old pupil has come to see me (child protection officer). She wants advice on getting the Emergency Contraception. What should I do?
The advice is the same as above but you must check your own school’s confidentiality policy. A health professional can help a child without necessarily needing parental consent.
How can I find out the most up to date laws about sex and relationships?
A very good website which is constantly updated is Brook.
Some primary schools seem to do a lot of PSHE and SRE. Others do very little. At KS3 where should I start?
In an ideal world we would have a rolling programme which ALL primary, secondary and post 16 providers would follow. As it is there are a few primary schools that do little beyond the science curriculum and where children do not learn about puberty or the development of a foetus to the birth of a baby.
Many primary and secondary schools have to take a fresh look at their SRE policies and curriculum in order to meet the requirements of the new HS standard and potentially the new DCFS Guidance due out in 2010.
Many more schools are now reviewing their transition practices and should be considering talking about what is happening in schools in the field of PSHE including SRE.
It is obviously important to remember that children assimilate information in different ways and at different times, often due to the relevance of the topic to their own situation. Therefore we do have to repeat information but usually with a new emphasis.
Remember our aim is to enable our young people to make healthy choices throughout their lives.
A lot of the boys in my SRE classes act very immaturely and appear to be homophobic. How can I tackle this issue?
This is common and is often a sort of fear reaction which boys have. The problem is of course that sitting in the classroom will be at least one child who may feel anxious and threatened because of the reactions of his/her friends.
Teachers need to point this out to a class and it can help to adopt the circle time rules of respecting others, not making fun of them.
Discussing sexuality in the classroom can be a challenge for some teachers. Staff must be prepared to ensure that they, as adults, can provide a safe environment for pupils who may feel vulnerable. The Words Hurt Too lesson plan and DVD are available for each secondary school at no cost.
A useful website is Stonewall.
What is Accreditation in PSHE all about?
This is an opportunity for teachers of PSHE to scrutinize their own practice. A portfolio of evidence is gathered as part of the process and support is provided at all stages. The process takes about one year to complete. It is envisaged that in future all schools will have at least one member of staff with this award.
See the PSHE website for full details.
