Images protected by Greenhouse School Websites

Part of the Learning in Harmony Trust

"In the Learning in Harmony Trust, we work in harmony to achieve excellence for all. We live and breathe our values and focus on doing things the right way, providing the perfect environment for all our children to flourish and succeed. And with a diverse range of schools in two contrasting locations, we offer a unique opportunity for professionals looking for a challenging and rewarding career in a supportive, creative and forward-thinking environment."
Click here to find out more about the LiH Trust.

Back to top

Whitefield School

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health

The RSHE curriculum was updated in September 2026. New guidance builds positively upon what we already teach, with a stronger focus on the realities children face today, particularly online.

For primary-aged children, the key updates include:

  • Enhanced Online Safety: Greater emphasis on navigating digital spaces safely, understanding age-restricted content, and recognising online boundaries.
  • Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing: Expanded focus on helping children identify and manage complex feelings, including building resilience, and understanding grief, loss, and loneliness.
  • Practical Personal Safety: New, explicit content to help children recognise risks around roads, railways, fire, and water safety.
  • Body Protection & Safeguarding: Reaffirming best practice by teaching children accurate anatomical vocabulary for body parts. This is a vital safeguarding tool that reduces stigma and empowers children to speak up if they ever feel unsafe.
  • Diverse Families: Ensuring our lessons continue to reflect and respect the diverse family structures within our modern British society (such as single parents, same-sex parents, foster carers, and blended families). 

For secondary-aged children, the key updates include:

  • Wellbeing Online: The curriculum expands beyond basic internet safety to address modern digital cultures. New mandatory topics include the risks of AI and deepfakes, online scams, and the impact of harmful online influencers, misogyny, and toxic subcultures.
  • Sexual Harassment & Consent: Lessons will look beyond basic consent to focus on healthy, ethical relationships. Clear, age-appropriate teaching will cover the legalities of sharing indecent images, stalking, upskirting, and pornography.
  • Gender Identity & Inclusion: In line with updated guidance, schools will focus on the legal and biological facts surrounding sex and gender reassignment under the Equality Act. The guidance states that schools must not teach contested ideological views—such as the concept of an internal "gender identity"—as absolute fact.
  • Mental Health & Resilience: Lessons will focus heavily on emotional regulation, helping pupils distinguish between normal difficult emotions (like stress or loneliness) and clinical mental health conditions. Crucially, any teaching around self-harm or suicide prevention must avoid discussing specific methods.
  • Physical Health & Medical Literacy: The health curriculum expands to cover gynaecological health (including endometriosis and menopause), knife crime awareness, and how young people can safely navigate NHS healthcare services.

Our Approach to Teaching RSHRE

At Whitefield School, we recognise that every pupil learns differently. Our Personal, Social, Health, Relationships, and Economic education PSHRE curriculum is personalised to meet the individual strengths, needs of each learner across all curriculum pathways.


Our curriculum is informed by the PSHE Association SEND Framework, EQUALS, and guidance from the NSPCC, ensuring learning is age-appropriate, inclusive and evidence-based. Teaching is carefully adapted using visual supports, structured routines, Total Communication approaches (including AAC where appropriate), modelling, repetition, social stories, role play and practical, real-life experiences. Staff also draw upon approaches such as SCERTS, Intensive Interaction and the Engagement Model to maximise participation and understanding.


Learning takes place within a safe, respectful and supportive environment where pupils are encouraged to develop communication, emotional literacy, self-awareness, independence and positive relationships. Through carefully sequenced learning and regular opportunities to practise skills in meaningful contexts, we aim to equip pupils with the knowledge, understanding and confidence to keep themselves safe, make informed choices, promote their physical and emotional wellbeing, and prepare successfully for adult life.

RSHE Policies

Here you can find our RSHE Primary policy, which includes the curriculum map, how we will communicate with families and a curriculum map.

RSHE Lead / Contract Details

The RSHE Lead at Whitefield School is Carlos de Vega Ventura. 

Please contact the school via info@whitefield.lihtrust.uk if you have any questions.

Close