We know that our young people face a range of opportunities and challenges as they grow up. In achieving our mission statement of students who are happy, safe and achieve well, we want to equip our students to harness the opportunities they experience, whilst wisely managing the challenges and risks. Our Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) programme seeks to equip students to be safe and healthy as well as to manage their friendships and relationships in a positive way. Our programme is delivered through assemblies, our morning form class programme as well as fortnightly tutorial sessions led by your child's pastoral tutor. As such our RSHE learning occurs within the context of safe and secure relationships and the broader support of our pastoral system. Our curriculum has been carefully designed and sequenced to ensure that concepts are introduced at the right time. All sessions are designed by staff within our school community so that we can have confidence that they are high quality and age-appropriate.
Our policy for 2026 to 2027
Our RSHE Policy follows the Department for Education’s statutory guidance, which came into force on 1 September 2026. We consulted parents and carers while writing it.
The policy sets out:
- what we teach, and when
- who teaches it
- how we make lessons accessible to all students, including those with SEND
- how you can see the materials we use
- your right to ask for your child to be withdrawn from sex education
Sex education
Sex education begins in Year 9. It is taught in three units:
- Year 9, Unit 3: Intimate and Sexual Relationships
- Year 10, Unit 2: Healthy and Safe Relationships
- Year 11, Unit 3: Safe Relationships and Sexual Health
We tell parents and carers before each unit begins.
Asking for your child to be withdrawn
You can ask for your child to be withdrawn from some or all of sex education. To do this, write to the Headteacher, who will discuss the request with you.
You cannot withdraw your child from relationships education, health education or the science curriculum.
From three terms before their 16th birthday, a student can choose to take part in sex education even if they have been withdrawn.
Students who are withdrawn are given other suitable work during those lessons.
Seeing what we teach
You can see any of the materials we use to teach RSHE. The curriculum overview shows what is taught in each year group. To see lesson materials, or to ask a question about the policy, contact Mr J Greenshields, Deputy Headteacher for Personal Development, at j.greenshields@ponthigh.org.uk.
Our RSHE Policy follows the Department for Education’s statutory guidance, which came into force on 1 September 2026. We consulted parents and carers while writing it.
The policy sets out:
- what we teach, and when
- who teaches it
- how we make lessons accessible to all students, including those with SEND
- how you can see the materials we use
- your right to ask for your child to be withdrawn from sex education
Sex education
Sex education begins in Year 9. It is taught in three units:
- Year 9, Unit 3: Intimate and Sexual Relationships
- Year 10, Unit 2: Healthy and Safe Relationships
- Year 11, Unit 3: Safe Relationships and Sexual Health
We tell parents and carers before each unit begins.
Asking for your child to be withdrawn
You can ask for your child to be withdrawn from some or all of sex education. To do this, write to the Headteacher, who will discuss the request with you.
You cannot withdraw your child from relationships education, health education or the science curriculum.
From three terms before their 16th birthday, a student can choose to take part in sex education even if they have been withdrawn.
Students who are withdrawn are given other suitable work during those lessons.
Seeing what we teach
You can see any of the materials we use to teach RSHE. The curriculum overview shows what is taught in each year group. To see lesson materials, or to ask a question about the policy, contact Mr J Greenshields, Deputy Headteacher for Personal Development, at j.greenshields@ponthigh.org.uk.
