Sex and Relationship Policy

Glenealy School

Sex and Relationship Education Policy

Rationale

At Glenealy School, we believe that effective Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) is essential if our students, as they grow, are to make responsible and well informed decisions about their lives.  It contributes to promoting the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, emotional, mental and physical development of our students, preparing them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

We believe SRE should not be delivered in isolation, but where possible, embedded in our Programme of Inquiry, particularly in the PYP transdisciplinary theme of ‘Who We Are’.

Definition of Sex and Relationship Education

It is about respect, love and care and the benefits of making and maintaining a stable marriage or relationship. We recognise that to be human is to experience sexual feelings, seek connections with other people and develop relationships, which may be physical or non-physical. SRE seeks to enable young people to feel positive about themselves and to manage relationships.

Aims and Objectives

At Glenealy School we aim to provide our pupils with an age appropriate SRE programme that is tailored to their physical and emotional maturity. It should enable children to make positive choices about their sexual and emotional health, both now and in the future.

Working With Parents and Caregivers

The school is committed to working in close partnership with parents and caregivers who are the key people in teaching their children about sex and relationships.

Parents/caregivers are invited to view the teaching materials and resources that will be used at least 2 weeks prior. The school will make available the names of the books and DVD’s that will be used during the SRE programme. (See appendix). Parents will be encouraged to purchase some of these materials to use at home with their children. Multiple copies of the materials will be available to loan through the PTA library.

A parent or caregiver, who is concerned about any element of this policy, or is unhappy about their child’s participation, should discuss their feelings with the Principal. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from aspects of the SRE programme that they deem unnecessary or unsuitable. If so, parents should consult with the class teacher to discuss appropriate arrangements.

Links to PYP

SRE is part of our Programme of Inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme Who We Are. The SRE component of our curriculum at Glenealy School is designed to help students learn about the concept of the self, and help support the development of the Learner Profile, attitudes, and skills, as well as the knowledge and understandings as identified in the PSE Scope and Sequence documents.

The Learner Profile in SRE

• Inquirers: They explore the concept of the self through in-depth questions that arise as a response to natural curiosity.
• Knowledgeable: They acquire in-depth knowledge and developed understanding about natural cycles and the development of body systems.
• Thinkers: They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems in their daily lives.
• Communicators: They understand and express their questions, ideas and information confidently.
• Principled: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of respect for the dignity of the individuals and groups.
• Open-minded: They understand that different people have different ideas, beliefs and practices.
• Caring: They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others.
• Balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Social Skills in SRE

• Accepting Responsibility: Learning to accept responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Respecting Others: Listening sensitively to others; recognizing that others’ beliefs, viewpoints, religions and ideas may differ from one’s own; stating one’s opinion without hurting others.
• Cooperation: Working cooperatively in a group; being courteous to others. Listening to others; discussing ideas; asking questions; working towards and obtaining consensus. Understanding what behaviour is appropriate in a given situation and acting accordingly; being a leader in some circumstances, a follower in others.

Attitudes in SRE

• Respect: Respecting themselves, and the development of their bodies and relationships.
• Tolerance: Being sensitive about differences and diversity between themselves and their peers. Being responsive to the needs of others.

We believe that SRE will be achieved by providing an environment and atmosphere where pupils feel safe, relaxed, not intimidated or embarrassed, but focussed; and where they have confidence and trust in the knowledge, ability and skills of their teachers.

Content and Organisation

The organisation of SRE is no different from other curriculum areas. It is delivered through units of inquiry, where appropriate. Occasionally, issues about SRE may arise spontaneously in other lessons where it is not the main focus of the lesson. This is not considered to be part of the planned SRE programme and parents or caregivers cannot withdraw pupils in these circumstances.

Normally, male and female pupils will be taught together. However, when deemed appropriate, there may be occasions when pupils are taught in separate gender groups.

Aspects of SRE are encompassed within the ethos of the school and may be delivered through:

• Units of Inquiry
• Assembly time
• Circle time
• Health weeks
• PE lessons
• Additional Meetings

The SRE programme may be delivered by:

• Class Teachers
• Specific teachers and/ or a dedicated team of teachers including SMT
• The School Nurse (or other specified visitor/s or agency).

The overview and co-ordination of the taught curriculum is the responsibility of the Principal and PYP Coordinator in the school. The Senior Management Team will work alongside teachers to ensure that they have the appropriate skills, qualities and knowledge to teach the more sensitive aspects of SRE. Support will be given where necessary.

If a student is absent from school for valid reasons, (eg through illness) and does not participate in the SRE programme, the school will ensure that teaching materials are made available to the parents/caregivers.

Specific Issues

Personal Beliefs

The personal beliefs and attitudes of teachers should not influence their teaching of SRE.

Essential Agreements (rules)

Teachers will develop essential agreements with their class for ways of working with SRE material. Eg.

• No one (teacher or pupil) will have to answer a personal question
• No one will be forced to take part in a discussion
• The language used will be accessible to everyone in the class
• Only the correct (scientific) names for body parts will be used
• Meanings of words will be explained in a sensible and factual way.

Dealing with difficult questions

We have a variety of strategies for dealing with difficult questions. For example:

• if a question is too explicit or is inappropriate, the teacher will attend to it later, on an individual basis and a decision will be taken whether or not to inform the child’s parents/caregivers;

• if a child makes a disclosure that causes the teacher concern, they must follow child protection procedures established within ESF. (The ESF Child protection policy is attached to this document)

Puberty

Boys and girls need to be prepared for puberty before they reach this developmental stage. At Glenealy School we teach about puberty and the need for extra care with personal hygiene mainly in whole class groups but opportunities are provided for single gender lessons in Year 6 to allow children to speak more freely and without restraint.

Menstruation

Our programme will include preparation for menstruation. Basic information about the process of menstruation will be given to both boys and girls. These sessions will be conducted in single sex format.

We will make appropriate and sensitive arrangements for the changing and disposal of sanitary wear for our pupils. ( eg. Requests for sanitary protection is dealt with by the school nurse). There is a trained nurse and SMT who are experienced in dealing with sensitive issues.)

Appendix 1

Programme Content: The content of the Year 5-6 programme and associated DVD’s were aligned to year groups by a working party of parents, teachers, educational assistants and the school principal.

The content will be linked with Units of Inquiry throughout the school and where appropriate may be stand-alone lessons.

Key Resources:

Policy Developed in May 2010 in consultation with the Glenealy School Community.