Health and wellbeing in school
Relationships Sex and Health Education (RSHE) 2020
Recent regulatory changes to relationships education, sex and relationships education and health education (RE, RSE & HE), the new Personal Development Ofsted Inspection Framework and national health strategies for children and young people all offer opportunities to renew our efforts to improving the health and wellbeing of our young residents through whole-school approaches.
Statement of Support for Relationships, Sex and Health Education
In partnership with Achieving for Children, Directors of Public Health and local Councillors across Richmond and Kingston, we have launched a statement of support for schools in their delivery of the new national Relationships Education, Relationships & Sex Education, and Health Education statutory guidance and curriculum content.
The new Department for Education statutory guidance was published in July 2019 under the Children and Social Work Act 2017. It reinforces Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education delivered in schools to date by ensuring that all pupils in every school are consistently supported with the right information, skills and knowledge to enable them to keep safe and build their resilience as they journey into adulthood. Schools began their programmes of delivery in September 2020. Cllr Frost has said in support of the work in schools:
'Richmond Councillors, the Council and Achieving for Children welcome the government's new compulsory subjects of Relationships Education, Relationships & Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) in schools. The curriculum which is taught in our schools is an important contribution to the overall safeguarding, health and wellbeing of children and young people in our borough. With all the current pressures on young people as they grow up, it has never been more important to ensure that a strong curriculum is in place to help children and young people, in partnership with parents and carers, to build the resilience and skills to manage their relationships and promote their health and well-being as they grow safely into independent young adults.
I know that our Youth Council sees this as a priority within our schools, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to commend the national guidance for our schools across the borough.'
Download the full Statement of Support (pdf, 222 KB).
The public health team regularly commission training to support the implementation of PSHE in schools. For more information and latest training courses please visit AfC CPD website
Relationships, sex and health education: Guides for Parents
The government have produced some useful guides for parents of primary and secondary age pupils that schools can use to communicate with them about teaching relationships and health education.
Guides for Parents
www.gettingiton.org.uk
Getting It On is a website dedicated to helping teenagers in South West London. The website provides information and advice on key issues such as sexual and mental health, drugs, alcohol and relationship problems, and gives listings of helpful services and clinics across the area.
To find a full list of all the local clinics and services in your area, use the search facility. Choose your area – Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton or Wandsworth – then pick the category that best matches your query from the drop-down menus.
Getting It On is there to help. Don't go it alone. The website can also be used as a resource for parents and carers and education staff in schools as part of the PSHE curriculum.
Exploitation support pack for parents and carers
Public health has developed a support pack for local parents and carers who are concerned that their child could be, or is experiencing exploitation.
View the parents and carers support pack (pdf, 2.6 MB).
The pack is primarily for parents whose children have experienced exploitation (or where they are concerned that they may be) either by their peers or adults. It is designed to help parents and carers reduce the risk of further exploitation; help understand what is happening if it does; and provides tips, helpful information, and guidance to protect and support their child going forwards.
While the pack is a useful tool for parents and carers to access as needed, it can also be used as a useful reference guide for professionals and support workers who provide support for parents and carers. The pack considers the following, and more:
What exploitation is and how it can happen
Strategies for talking to children about exploitation
Useful tips for preventing exploitation online
What to do if a child goes missing
Living and coping with exploitation
The pack, which has been developed in partnership with local parents, exploitation services, children's safeguarding partnerships, public health teams and the Police Borough Command Unit, is also available for parents and workers to download on the local Getting it on website.
See Achieving for Children for contact details.