Features

Northumberland gets schools up to speed in statutory RSHE

5 mins read Health Sexual health PSHE Education
Council develops new approach to training school staff in RSHE in time to meet new requirements on teaching subject.
Training was commissioned from the Sex Education Forum to ensure Northumberland’s schools were ready to deliver RSHE. Picture: Konstiantyn Zapylaie/Adobe Stock
Training was commissioned from the Sex Education Forum to ensure Northumberland’s schools were ready to deliver RSHE. Picture: Konstiantyn Zapylaie/Adobe Stock

Initiatives includes free training from the Sex Education Forum and access to an online portal containing a range of teaching resources

All schools have met the requirements and feedback from teachers on the quality of training has been positive

ACTION

Northumberland’s schools are being helped to introduce statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) through the council’s strategic approach to communication, training and partnership working.

Although the government outlined the new curriculum would be compulsory from September last year, it stipulated that schools that were not ready, or unable to meet the statutory requirements, should begin teaching by the start of the summer term in 2021. Northumberland County Council says almost all of its schools were ready by June to start delivering the new curriculum having previously been offered access to training and resources as part of its strategy. It adds that 13 schools in the county had already agreed to be early adopters of the statutory elements of the new curriculum in 2019. This was the same year that school nurses stopped delivering RSHE to year 5 primary and year 8 secondary school pupils after public health funding was discontinued, says Gill Finch, the council’s schools’ equalities co-ordinator.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here


More like this

Youth Work in Hertfordshire

Opportunities in districts across Hertfordshire

Trainee Social Worker

London (Central), London (Greater)