Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is central to pupils’ personal development, helping them to stay safe, develop healthy relationships, build resilience and prepare for life in modern Britain.

At St Columba’s, our RSHE curriculum has been fully updated in line with the latest statutory guidance (2025). These updates ensure that our provision reflects the evolving needs of children growing up in today’s world. As part of this review, the curriculum now includes:

• Expanded online safety education, including age-appropriate learning around artificial intelligence (AI), misogyny, and exposure to harmful online content.
• Enhanced safeguarding themes, such as personal safety, recognising risk, and understanding exploitation.
• Additional mental health content, including grief, emotional regulation, and strategies to support wellbeing.
• Stronger expectations around inclusive language and respectful relationships, ensuring all pupils feel represented, valued and safe.

Our intention is to equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and values they need to make informed choices, keep themselves safe, and thrive both now and in the future.

Our Programme: Life to the Full (Ten:Ten)

To deliver RSHE, we follow the Ten:Ten “Life to the Full” programme, which is fully compliant with statutory guidance and rooted in Catholic values. This carefully structured programme supports children’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual development, helping them to understand themselves, build positive relationships and respect the dignity of others.

The programme takes a spiral approach, revisiting key themes in an age-appropriate way as children progress through school. It ensures that learning is sensitive, inclusive and grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church, while also meeting all statutory requirements.

A Whole-School and Safeguarding Approach

RSHE is not taught in isolation. It is embedded across the wider curriculum and school life, including links to:

• Science
• Computing (including online safety)
• PE and Health Education
• Religious Education
• Our wider personal development and wellbeing provision

A strong safeguarding perspective underpins all teaching. Pupils are supported to:

• Recognise safe and unsafe situations
• Develop the confidence to speak up and seek help
• Understand boundaries and consent in an age-appropriate way
• Build emotional literacy and manage feelings positively

Staff deliver RSHE in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment where pupils are encouraged to ask questions, think critically and develop respect for themselves and others.