Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

The school’s RSE policy can be found by following this link

PSHE & RSE Curriculum at Portsdown Primary School and Early Years

Our Vision

At Portsdown Primary School and Early Years, we believe that PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) and RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) provide a vital foundation for our pupils’ personal development, wellbeing and safety.

We aim to equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and values they need to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. Through a carefully planned and sequenced curriculum, pupils develop a positive sense of self, respect for others, and the confidence to make informed decisions.

Our Curriculum

We use the Kapow Primary RSE & PSHE scheme from Year R to Year 6 (supplemented by Project Evolve for online safety). This scheme meets all the requirements of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (2025) set out by the Department for Education.

Our RSE curriculum is carefully sequenced and progressive, ensuring that knowledge and skills build appropriately across year groups in line with pupils’ age and developmental stage.

What We Teach

Key curriculum themes include:

Families and people who care for me
Caring friendships
Respectful relationships
Online relationships and digital safety
Being safe

Online Safety and Digital Literacy (via Kapow and/or Project Evolve)

Pupils are explicitly taught about:

Safe and respectful behaviour online
Privacy, consent and image sharing
Risks such as harmful content, exploitation, coercion and misinformation
How to seek help and report concerns

Consent, Boundaries and Personal Safety

Pupils are taught, in an age-appropriate way:

The concept of consent
Personal boundaries and bodily autonomy
How to recognise pressure, unsafe situations or inappropriate behaviour
How to respond and seek help

Puberty and Human Reproduction

Our curriculum topics on puberty and human reproduction are structured as follows:

EYFS – growing up and how we have changed since babies
KS1 – the correct anatomical terminology to describe body parts
Year 3 – how bodies change as they grow, including puberty and menstruation
Year 4 – puberty, menstruation and a simple introduction to conception
Year 5 – puberty in more detail, including social and emotional aspects, and conception in biological terms
Year 6 – puberty, becoming a teenager and understanding conception to the birth of a baby

How We Teach PSHE & RSE

At Portsdown, we teach weekly personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education lessons in order to teach the knowledge and skills in a developmental and age-appropriate way. PSHE lessons are reinforced through assemblies, wider curriculum opportunities, the school ethos, praise and reward systems, external visitors and Learning Mentors.

Our teaching is:

Age-appropriate and inclusive
Evidence-based and factually accurate
Sensitive to pupils’ needs and experiences
Delivered in a safe and supportive environment

Information for Parents

Parent Portal

Parents are able to access the Kapow Parent Portal for detailed information about what we are teaching and to which year group.

Access the Kapow Parent Portal

Viewing Resources

Parents and carers have the right to view RSE & PSHE teaching materials – we encourage you to contact your child’s class teacher if you would like to see resources in more detail.

Right to Withdraw

Parents do not have the right to withdraw their children from relationships education.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from the non-statutory components of sex education within RSE.

Requests for withdrawal should be put in writing using the form found in Appendix 1 of the RSE policy (available via the link on this page) and addressed to the headteacher.

Our RSE Policy

For full details about our approach to RSE, please read our complete RSE policy (which is available by the aforementioned link on this page).

Frequently Asked Questions

When will my child learn about puberty?
Learning about puberty begins in Year 3 and continues progressively through to Year 6, with content carefully matched to pupils’ age and development.

What if I have questions about what my child is learning?
Please contact your child’s class teacher or our PSHE/RSE Subject Coordinator . We’re happy to discuss the curriculum and show you the resources we use.

How does the school ensure teaching is age-appropriate?
We follow the Kapow scheme which is carefully sequenced to ensure content is developmentally appropriate. All teaching is delivered by trained staff in a safe, supportive environment.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about PSHE or RSE at Portsdown Primary School, please contact:

Deputy Headteacher: Darran Cowell
Email: d.cowell@portsdown.portsmouth.sch.uk