Meet our PSHE co-ordinator, Mrs Tunmore

Changes to the PSHE curriculum

September 2026

The Department for Education has published updated statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex and Health Education (our PSHE curriculum), with the new guidance taking effect from September 2026. 

Many aspects of the curriculum remain the same and we will still continue to use SCARF to teach our PSHE curriculum but the updated guidance strengthens several areas to better reflect the challenges young people face today.  It places a heavy emphasis on digital safety, safeguarding and mental wellbeing to address the real-world challenges young people face today. 

Key areas strengthened include-

• Online Safety- an enhanced focus on navigating modern digital spaces, understanding age restrictions and identifying online financial harms.
• Respectful Relationships- clearer content on boundaries, consent and tackling negative online and offline behaviours.
• Physical Health and Puberty- safe and age-appropriate tracking of bodily changes, using correct scientific and safeguarding language.
• Mental Wellbeing- better support for managing emotions, self-esteem and understanding change, loss and bereavement.
• Personal safety- covering risk reduction including fire and travel safety.

What changes have we made?

To ensure our curriculum covers the statutory guidance across the primary years we have spent time reviewing our PSHE policy (see below) and curriculum and with expert support from SCARF and our knowledge of our school we have developed a new long-term overview showing the topics we will cover across the school (see below).  We have also made more detailed plans showing the breakdown of carefully sequenced lessons and the objectives we will cover in each topic/year group (see below).  Each lesson has been carefully planned to be age-appropriate using a variety of resources to engage the children in their learning.

A core principle of the new guidance is transparency and close collaboration with families, please be reassured we will continue to inform you of topics we will be covering each half term.
We will also continue to provide support and guidance to enable you to carry on our classroom learning and conversations at home.

If you have any concerns around a particular topic, you have a right and are welcome to see any lesson resources to enable you to understand what your child is learning. Please contact your child’s class teacher or myself for this information.

Parental rights and withdrawals
We would also like to reassure parents that the guidance around parental rights remain unchanged. As a reminder:
• Relationships Education and Health Education remain statutory for all pupils, parents do not have the right to withdraw their child from these lesson. (unless in Reception)
• Parents retain the legal right to request that their child be withdrawn from the non-statutory Sex Education components of the curriculum. You will be notified in Year 6 when children are due to be taught this.

Why have the changes been made?

• Research shows that not delivering this vital education puts our children at greater risk of poor mental health. We know this because every year, around 25% of girls start their periods before learning about them at school. This can result in them agonising over why they are bleeding and how serious the cause might be. Similarly, 38% of boys experience wet dreams before having learnt about them, leaving them open to shame and stigma over a natural bodily function; this can lead to problems later in life.  This updated guidance stipulates that puberty education including menstruation should start at eight years old to help children understand what to expect and avoid distress.

• We also know that RSE has a protective factor when it comes to safeguarding children. 1 in 20 children are sexually abused and 1 in 3 of these do not report this to an adult. Sexual abuse can happen to any child; the best way to safeguard children is to ensure that they receive information on naming parts of their body, knowing the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch, and having the skills and confidence to find and talk to a trusted adult to report any abuse. 

• Research now shows that children with better health (including mental health) and wellbeing are likely to achieve better academically. By learning about positive relationships, respect for themselves and others, and behaving appropriately and safely online, they are better able to enjoy their friendships and therefore focus more at school. 

• There is sometimes concern that RSE in school might promote sexual experimentation or cause confusion about an individual’s sexuality. Research on quality Relationships and Sex education in the UK by the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles team consistently shows that men and women who reported that lessons at school were their main source of information about sex were more likely to have started having sex at a later age than those for whom parents or other sources were their main source.

Please see below our long term plan showing coverage and progression across the year groups.

Please see below our medium term plans giving details of what is covered in each topic, please note changes are shown in blue.

For more detailed information on the DfE statutory requirements for PSHE primary education please read the document below.  Please note changes are shown in blue.

Please see below our draft PSHE/RSE Policy. 

 If you would like to share your thoughts, questions or feedback please email

Mrs Tunmore via the office email address. 

Any comments will help us to finalise our curriculum and policy.

At Alresford Primary School, we aim to provide a safe, happy and nurturing environment so our children can be the best they can, in all they do. We strive to prepare our children with a skill set that enables them to contribute positively to both their and others lives. Our wish is to prepare our children to achieve academically, socially and economically in their future.

Our PSHE curriculum at Alresford Primary School reflects this vision ensuring it develops the knowledge, skills and attributes our children need to manage their lives, now and in the future.

We fully acknowledge there is a proven link between children’s health and wellbeing, and their academic progress.  We believe crucial skills and positive attitudes developed through a comprehensive personal, social, health and economic education are critical to ensuring children are effective learners. 

Our PSHE curriculum isn’t just another school subject.  It encompasses all areas of our curriculum and forms part of our whole school ethos and values of ‘be kind, be honest, be responsible’.  It runs through every aspect of school life, providing children with essential life skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed decisions and choices on becoming healthy, confident, respectful and responsible citizens both now and in the future.  Our curriculum will ensure that our children are on a journey to prepare them for life and work in modern Britain.

Since 2020 it has been a statutory requirement for primary schools to deliver Health and Relationships Education.

(For secondary pupils Relationships, Health and Sex Education (RSE) will be compulsory)

The Department for Education (DfE) also recommends schools deliver sex education that ensures both boys and girls are prepared for changes adolescence brings whilst drawing on knowledge of the human life cycle set out in the National Curriculum for Science (how a baby is conceived and born).

At Alresford Primary School we acknowledge that under the Education Act 2002, all schools must provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum and wish to have a policy that not only covers the statutory content but covers all aspects of our Personal, Social, Economic (PSHE) education provision. 

Relationships Education

This will put in place the building blocks needed for positive and safe relationships, including with family, friends and online. Your child will be taught what a relationship is, what friendship is, what family means and who can support them. In an age-appropriate way, your child will cover how to treat each other with kindness, consideration and respect. By the end of primary school, pupils will have been taught content on:

· Families and people who care for me

· Caring friendships

· Respectful, kind relationships

· Online safety and awareness

· Being safe

Health Education

This aims to give your child the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to recognise issues in themselves and others, and to seek support as early as possible when issues arise. By the end of primary school, pupils will have been taught content on:

• General wellbeing
• Wellbeing online
• Physical health and fitness
• Healthy eating
• Drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping
• Health protection and prevention
• Personal safety
• Basic first aid
• Developing bodies, including puberty

Organisation/ Provision

At Alresford Primary School, our aim is to provide a rich engaging PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economics education) and RSE (Relationships and Sex education) curriculum.  We have chosen to use SCARF from Coram Life Education, a comprehensive scheme of work for PSHE and wellbeing education. SCARF stands for Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, Friendship and promotes positive behaviour, mental health, wellbeing, resilience and achievement. 

It comprehensively covers all of the DfE’s statutory requirements for Relationships Education and Health Education, including non-statutory Sex Education, and the PSHE Association’s Programme of Study’s recommended learning opportunities, as well as contributing to different subject areas in the National Curriculum and British Values and SMSC.

Class teachers follow the six half-termly units each year for their own year group.   A 45-60 minute PSHE lesson is taught each week alongside a whole school approach with a variety of cross-curricular experiences.

The children become familiar with the SCARF core values of Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship from Foundation Stage to Year 6. The lessons are brought to life through the characters of Harold the giraffe and his friends. The children learn about PSHE and RSE  in Reception to Year 6 and think about the health of our minds and bodies, relationships and living in the wider world. 

SCARF provides a structured progression through the school and ensures that teaching is appropriate to the age group, builds upon prior learning and is relevant and sensitive to the needs of the children. As SCARF is a ‘spiral programme’, our children revisit the six themes each year, with an increasing level of demand and progressively deeper knowledge and understanding at each encounter.  A range of activities and methods are used to support PSHE learning, including circle time, quizzes, role play, stories, video clips, artefacts, debates, visitors, anonymous question boxes, and puppets.

The SCARF programme divides the year into 6 themed units:

Autumn 1- Me and My Relationships

Explores feelings and emotions, develops skills to manage conflict, helps identify our special people and equips children to recognise the qualities of healthy friendships and how to manage them.

Autumn 2- Valuing Difference

Includes a strong focus on British Values, supports children to develop respectful relationships with others, recognise bullying and know their responsibilities as a bystander.

Spring 1- Keeping Myself Safe

Covers a number of safety aspects from statutory Relationships Education including being able to identify trusted adults in their lives, what to do when faced with a dilemma and recognising appropriate and inappropriate touch. 

Spring 2- Rights and Responsibilities

Explores broader topics including looking after the environment, economic education and the changing rights and responsibilities children have as they grow older.

Summer 1- Being My Best

Includes a focus on keeping physically healthy, developing a growth mindset to facilitate resiliency, setting goals and ways to achieve them.

Summer 2- Growing and Changing

This covers the physical and emotional changes that happen as children grow older, including changes at puberty and how to approach this with confidence.

Age-appropriate lessons on relationships and sex education are also included.

To ensure that children feel comfortable to learn about a range of topics, we create a safe learning environment using a group agreement at the beginning of lessons or topics. This includes a confidentiality statement understood by adults and children. The teachers will also use a range of skills, including distancing techniques and an anonymous question box. Teachers will answer children’s questions factually and honestly in an age-appropriate way and respond to any disclosures following the schools safeguarding procedures/child protection policy. Support is provided to children experiencing difficulties on a one-to-one basis.

Relationship and Sex Education will be taught in a safe, non-judgmental environment where adults and children are confident that they will be respected. Specific ground rules will be established at the beginning of any relationships and sex education work, in addition to those already used in the classroom. These rules will ensure that:

• no one will be expected to answer a personal question
• no one will be forced to take part in a discussion; everyone has the right to opt-out
• only the correct names for body parts will be used
• the meanings of words will be explained in a sensible and factual way
• everyone will listen and respect each other
• other people’s secrets are not ours to share

We will provide opportunities for parents to view examples of the resources we plan to use.  Ongoing communication with parents about what is planned to be taught and when, will be provided through termly letters home with links to support resources and activities. We advise parents to view the resources in order to support them in carrying out their responsibilities relating to providing RSE at home.

Parental concerns and withdrawal of students

‘Today’s children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world and living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way. This is why we have made Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools in England and Relationships and Sex Education compulsory in all secondary schools, as well as making Health Education compulsory in all state-funded schools. The key decisions on these subjects have been informed by a thorough engagement process, including a public call for evidence that received over 23,000 responses from parents, young people, schools and experts and a public consultation where over 40,000 people contacted the Department for Education.’

Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education Statutory guidance for governing bodies, proprietors, head teachers, principals, senior leadership teams, teachers

Our Relationship and Health Education curriculum meets all the DfE statutory requirements set out in the Relationships and Health Education statutory guidance and will be taught in Reception, Key Stage 1 and 2.

 Parents do not have the right to request that their child is withdrawn from these lessons (unless they are in Reception) these lessons are compulsory. 

If there are concerns or worries about the curriculum content we advise parents to make contact with the class teacher or PSHE lead. 

Sex Education

Parents do have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of the non-statutory Sex Education our school teaches but not Relationships Education.

They do not have a right to withdraw their children from those aspects of Sex Education that are taught in the statutory National Curriculum Science and Health Education. If parents are concerned with the content of these lessons they are invited to view our resources and discuss this with the class teacher or PSHE lead.

Before granting a request to withdraw a child/ren, the head teacher will invite the parent to discuss the request with them to ensure that their wishes are understood and to clarify the nature and purpose of the curriculum. The headteacher will discuss with the parent the benefits of receiving this important education and any detrimental effects that withdrawal might have on their child. This could include any social and emotional effects of being excluded, as well as the likelihood of the child hearing their peers’ version of what was said in the classes, rather than what was directly said by the teacher. The school is responsible for ensuring that should a child be withdrawn, they receive appropriate, purposeful education during the period of withdrawal.

At the beginning of each year group class teachers will share the PSHE coverage within that year, including sex education.

Parents will also be notified when sex education appropriate to your child’s age is going to be delivered.

All our classes at Alresford Primary have the opportunity to join a SCARF workshop in the autumn term. 

It is great fun to learn in the lifespace classroom.

The children are very excited to meet Harold, the happy, healthy and friendly giraffe. 

All the classes learn about keeping healthy, identifying feelings, emotions and qualities of friendships.