Sex Education in Kingshurst Primary School

Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools; however, the Department for Education recommends that all primary schools teach age-appropriate sex education to ensure children are prepared for the change’s adolescence brings and understand how human life begins.

At Kingshurst Primary School, our approach to sex education is:

Sex Education as part of PSHE (subject to parental withdrawal)

We teach age-appropriate sex education in Years 5 and 6 as part of our PSHE curriculum, going beyond the statutory content about puberty to include factual information about human reproduction. We believe this information is important for children before they leave primary school, particularly as children naturally become more aware and curious about how life begins, and may seek information from less reliable sources if we do not provide age-appropriate, factual teaching.

We define sex education as learning about human reproduction. It is defined as those lessons covering sexual intercourse, conception, the stages of pregnancy and birth. It includes the emotional impact of having a baby as well as the physical facts. Sex education is not learning about different types of sexual activity.

This is distinct from the statutory Health Education content about puberty and menstruation, and from Science curriculum content about life cycles and reproduction in mammals, from which children cannot be withdrawn.

The following Jigsaw lessons in the Changing Me Puzzle contain non-statutory sex education content:

Year 5: Conception

Year 6: Babies: Conception to Birth

Parent Engagement and the Right to Withdraw from Sex Education

Parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education taught as part of PSHE. Parents do NOT have the right to withdraw children from:

· Relationships Education (statutory)

· Health Education, including puberty education (statutory)

· Science curriculum content, including content about reproduction (statutory)

Before deciding to withdraw a child from sex education, we invite parents to discuss their concerns with the Head teacher and PSHE lead. This discussion helps us to understand the request and enables us to clarify the nature and purpose of the curriculum, discuss the benefits of the education, and consider any potential impacts of withdrawal on the child.

Where a parent requests withdrawal, we will:

· Arrange a meeting to discuss the request and the curriculum content in detail

· Share relevant teaching materials so parents can see exactly what will be taught

· Explain how we will support the child during withdrawal (ensuring they receive appropriate, purposeful education)

· Respect the parent's final decision whilst documenting our professional advice

We inform parents about sex education content by sending curriculum information letters at the start of the summer term, holding parent information sessions, and making all materials available for viewing on request.

A withdrawal request form is available from the school office.

Responding to children's questions

We recognise that children may ask questions beyond our planned curriculum. Teachers use professional judgement to respond, and may answer briefly and factually if age-appropriate, suggest the child speaks with their parent or carer, or acknowledge the question while explaining they'll learn more when older.

If a withdrawn child asks questions about sex education content, teachers will sensitively explain this is something their parents would like to discuss at home. We will inform parents so they can follow up.

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