PSHE and RSE

At Orchard Education our delivery of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is designed, delivered and embedded through a comprehensive and balanced programme built within the wider curriculum including Science, ICT and People in the Community. However, the three main areas are for delivery are:

• PSHE

• RSE

• Talkabout

All subject content in PSHE and RSE has been mapped in accordance with the changes outlined in the DfE’s Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education framework released in 2025. For further information, please follow this link: Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education – GOV.UK

PSHE makes a significant contribution to the promotion of young people’s personal and social development. Our aims of the PSHE curriculum, are ensure our learners have the necessary skills and attributes to know how to stay safe and healthy by focusing on self-esteem, resilience, risk management and teamwork by concentrating on:

As stated above, careful mapping of our rolling curriculum has taken place to ensure a full coverage of all headings from the DfE’s Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education framework, as can be seen below:

• Families
• Respectful Relationships, including Friendships
• Online and Media
• Being Safe
• Intimate and Sexual Relationships, including Sexual Health
• Mental Wellbeing
• Wellbeing Online
• Physical Health and Fitness
• Healthy Eating
• Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco and Vaping
• Health Protection and Prevention, and Understanding the Healthcare System
• Personal Safety
• Basic First Aid
• Developing Bodies

At Orchard Education, good relationships are fundamental to our ethos. RSE has a key part to play in the personal, social, moral and spiritual development of our learners. RSE will be delivered as part of our rolling curriculum through our weekly PSHE lessons. Specifically, our RSE curriculum:

• Provides a framework in which sensitive discussions can take place.

• Prepares learners for puberty and gives them an understanding of sexual development and the importance of health and hygiene.

• Helps young people develop feelings of self-respect, confidence, and empathy.

• Creates a positive culture around issues of sexuality and relationships.

• Teaches and confirms the correct vocabulary for young people to describe themselves and their bodies.

• Has been adapted to ensure full coverage of the new ‘Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education 2025’ framework.

All PSHE and RSE lessons will be delivered by trained tutors who will use a variety of engaging methods such as discussions, group work, role-play, collaboration and scenario-based learning. The teaching will be inclusive, sensitive, age-appropriate and non-judgemental throughout.

Parents have the right to request children are removed from lessons teaching certain elements of RSE. Information on this can be downloaded here.

Talkabout is a structured programme for teaching and measuring social skills. It is based on teaching children or young adults in small groups using a hierarchical method of developing skills where basic or foundation skills are taught before more complicated skills. The repetition enables learners to revisit and consolidate skills that they will use in adult life, including:

• Self-Awareness and Self-Esteem

• Body Language

• The Way We Talk

• Conversations

• Assertiveness