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St Alban's Catholic High School

St Alban's
Catholic High School

Relationship & Sex Education (RSE)

Relationship and Sex Education (RSE)

In accordance with guidance of the Bishops of England and Wales, the Catholic Education Service (CES) and East Anglia Diocese the Church recognises that parents are the first teachers of their children. It is their right and responsibility to inform and educate their children in matters relating to human relationships and sexual development. Catholic schools work in partnership with parents to help them in this task. Parents must be given the opportunity to discuss the content of any programme of RSE that will be delivered and the resources that are planned to be used. In a Catholic school, any teaching or formation on human love and human development must be within the whole context of our faith in God who reveals himself in Jesus Christ, as it is through our love of God and of our neighbour, that we reciprocate God’s love for mankind. We are involved in RSE precisely because of our Christian beliefs about God and about the human person. The belief in the unique dignity of the human person made in the image and likeness of God underpins the approach to all education in a Catholic school.

Our approach to RSE therefore is rooted in the Catholic Church’s teaching of the human person and presented in a positive framework of Christian ideals. As a consequence of the Christian belief that we are made in the image and likeness of God, sexuality is seen as God’s gift and it reflects God’s beauty. RSE, therefore, will be placed firmly within the context of ‘relationship’ as it is there that sexuality grows and develops. All RSE in our schools must be taught in accordance with the Church’s moral teaching. Our programme enshrines Catholic values relating to the importance of stable relationships and the central importance of marriage and family life. We must also acknowledge that all pupils have a fundamental right to have their life respected whatever household or culture they come from; I know you will be sensitive in the support given to all pupils while still promoting those virtues which are essential in responding to the God’s call to love others with a proper respect for their dignity and the dignity of the human body.

Please see links below to a presentation providing a succinct overview of how we will be implementing RSE from September.

As parents/carers you may also find it helpful to refer to several documents provided by East Anglia and Westminster Diocese that provides a context to the policy and how this will work in a Catholic school as well as a number of frequently asked questions.