Relationship, Health and Sex Education
Information for Parents and Carers
At Hangleton we use Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, combined with some Brighton and Hove units, as our scheme of work to teach PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education). The Jigsaw programme consists of 6 half-term units, each with 6 lessons. We call these Jigsaw ‘Puzzles’. (Being Me in My World, Celebrating Difference, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me).
In the first half of the Summer Term we teach the Brighton and Hove Relationships Unit, Feeling Good, Feeling Safe. Relationships Education is statutory (DfE Guidance 2019) and parents cannot withdraw their children from it. Positive relationships are developed throughout the school year and through each Jigsaw Puzzle, but there is a more specific focus on this in this Unit of Work, with children learning about different relationships we have with our friends, family and communities (including staying safe online), and how we keep ourselves safe including safe touch. Scientific terminology for body parts is introduced in this unit, partly for safe guarding reasons, and partly to lay the foundations for learning about puberty later.
In the second half of the Summer Term, we teach the Jigsaw ‘Changing Me’ Puzzle. This helps children learn to cope positively with all sorts of change. In Key Stage 2 they will learn about puberty in this Puzzle.
The government statutory guidance gives parents the right to request to withdraw their child from Sex Education, and detailed below is an explanation of what Sex Education is and how you can find out more about this if you wish to.
Health, Relationship and Sex Education
Health and Relationship Education is statutory in all primary schools, and it is recommended that all primary schools have a Sex Education programme that is tailored to the age of the pupils. The Health and Relationship curriculum content is woven throughout the entire programme of Jigsaw, with a specific focus within the ‘Healthy Me’ and ‘Relationships’ Puzzles.
In the Early Years and Key Stage 1, the focus is on life cycles, valuing our own bodies and learning some vocabulary for the external body parts that we might use if we needed to talk to an adult such as a nurse or a doctor.
In Key Stage 2, there is a particular focus on the Health Education element of puberty (including menstruation) and the changes that happen inside and outside the body. This is taught in a way that helps pupils feel prepared for the main changes that happen before puberty starts and to encourage them to talk to an adult at home or at school if they have any questions.
At Hangleton, we define ‘Sex Education’ to mean Human Reproduction – conception to birth.
Sex Education is part of our PSHE/RHSE curriculum and we teach it through the Jigsaw ‘Changing Me’ topic. Please note that animal reproduction is a statutory element of the Year 5 Science curriculum and we teach this, including human reproduction in Autumn 2.
The Right to Withdraw
As parents, you have the right to withdraw your child from the non-statutory elements of our teaching. These will be the lessons on human reproduction (please refer to the contents table here for the exact lessons). You are unable to withdraw your child from any lessons within Relationship or Health Education (this includes puberty and menstruation). If you do wish to withdraw your child from the human reproduction lessons, please contact Alison Crawford so we can discuss the implications of withdrawing.
Each year, we invite parents and carers in to school to an RHSE meeting where they can see the resources we use and ask any questions.
We are eager to work in partnership with families
Please be aware that your child may ask you questions about what they have learnt and if you need support answering their questions, we are always happy to advise.
We hope that the information we have provided is useful in understanding what your child will be learning this term.
Please refer to our PSHE policy for further information.
If you have any further questions, or would like to view the lesson resources via the Jigsaw Parents Portal, please contact your child’s teacher or Alison Crawford via the office,
What will my child be taught about puberty and human reproduction?
The Jigsaw unit ‘Changing Me’ is taught in the Summer Term and contains 6 pieces (lessons). Each year group will be taught appropriate to their age and developmental stage. beyond the If questions are asked that the teacher feels are inappropriate or are beyond the content for that year group, the teacher may ask the child to ask their parent/carer, or the teacher may acknowledge the question and explain that we will learn about that aspect at another time.
Please click here to see the lessons (pieces) that relating to life cycles, the human body, puberty and human reproduction. The lessons (pieces) that parents are able to withdraw their children from are highlighted in red font.