Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is the national approach to learning and teaching for young people aged 3 to 18 in Scotland and is underpinned by the values of wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity. Health and wellbeing (HWB) is one of the eight curricular areas in CfE. Learning in health and wellbeing is designed to ensure children and young people develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes which they need for mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing.

Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) education, is intended to support children and young people build positive relationships as they grow older and should present facts in an objective, balanced and sensitive manner within the framework of curricular values and an awareness of the law.

Scotland does not have a statutory curriculum. This means that rather than teachers being given a prescriptive list of topics they must teach at particular stages, it is for teachers, head teachers and other professional educational practitioners to decide how best to deliver the curriculum based on local needs and circumstances. However, we are specific about the need for children and young people to gain knowledge appropriate to their age and stage of education. To this end, Education Scotland have produced Experiences and Outcomes on RSHP (see pages 16-18) to provide a set of clear and concise statements about children’s learning and progression as they move throughout school. The experiences and outcomes are differentiated into early to fourth stage to show how children’s learning should develop as they move through school.

Key documents and policy drivers

• National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 (updated 2023) – outlines the responsibilities and expectations to effectively support and protect children and young people
• Safeguarding – Child Sexual Exploitation – outline of child sexual exploitation (CSE). Provides guidance and support for practitioners and senior leaders.
• Safeguarding – Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) – outline of female genital mutilation (FGM). Provides guidance and support for practitioners and senior leaders.
• Safeguarding – Identify, Understand & Respond Appropriately to Sexual Behaviours in Young People - Supports practitioners identify, understand and respond appropriately to sexual behaviours in young people.
• Consent: Healthy Relationships and Consent: key messages for young people – a resource for practitioners to support young people in their understand of health relationships and consent.
• LGBT+: Supporting Transgender Young People in Schools: Guidance for Scottish Schools – guidance for schools on supporting transgender young people
• LGBT+: Addressing Inclusion – Effectively Challenging Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia – guidance to support practitioners recognise, challenge and effectively manage incidents of homophobic, biphobia and transphobic bullying in school settings.
• Menstruation: Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 Guidance – Sept 2021 – guidance for responsible bodies about the exercise of the functions conferred to them by the Period Productions (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021
• Pornography: ‘A lot of it is actually just abuse’- Children's Commissioner for England
• Pregnancy and Parenthood: Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy
• Pregnancy and Parenthood: Someone to talk to and Someone to listen – Supporting young pregnant women and young parents in school – guidance for practitioners to effectively support young pregnant pupils and parents in schools.
• Pregnancy and parenthood while you are in school or education - this leaflet provides basic information to young people about how their school or college will support them to make decisions about their education during pregnancy or parenthood.
• RSHP Teaching Guidance – guidance for practitioners on the conduct of teaching relationships, sexual health and parenthood education within the Curriculum for Excellence.
• Scottish Council for Learning Disabilities: Safe and Healthy Relationships – provides examples of good practice in relation to RSHP education for children and young people with additional support needs.
• Scottish Council for Learning Disabilities: report on relationships – report generated following 2019 survey of people with learning disabilities in Scotland into relationships and loneliness.
• Getting It Right For Every Child – National approach to improving the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland.
• Respect For All: ‘The National Approach to Anti-bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People’ – supports practitioners build capacity, resilience and skills in children and young people to prevent and effectively deal with bullying.

Learning, teaching and assessment resources

• RSHP national learning and teaching resource – the resource is a one stop shop providing materials to support your RSHP education, with support for delivery across early learning settings, schools, colleges and community-based learning. It is organised to sit within Curriculum for Excellence.
• Health and wellbeing Experiences and Outcomes
• Personal and Social Education Benchmarks - to make clear what learners need to know and be able to do to progress through the levels, and to support consistency in teachers' and other practitioners' professional judgements
• LGBT resources – resources developed by LGBT Youth Scotland
• Period Inequality
• Gods Loving Plan – program from the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES) for primary practitioners to deliver RSHP education
• Called to Love – program from the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES) for secondary practitioners to deliver RSHP education
• Real Love Rocks – resources focusing on healthy, consensual and safe relationships developed by Barnardo’s
• Choice Support: Supported Loving Toolkit – series of guides to support children and young people with issues surrounding sexuality and relationships
• CKUK Common Knowledge – free online learning in relation to sex and relationships for people with additional support needs
• NHS: Consent - Let's Talk about It
• What is Consent? - information and documents related to the Disrespect NoBody campaign to support young people understand what a healthy relationship is.

Primary

• Primary School puberty teaching resources – lesson plan pack exploring the physical changes that occur during puberty and the effect these can have on an individual’s emotions, identity and sexuality.
• PANTS resources for schools and teachers – free resources for PANTS (the Underwear Rule) including lesson plans, presentations, curricular links and classroom activities.
• Speakeasy E-Learning Units – NHS Sexual Health & Blood Borne Viruses

Secondary

• Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) – practice exemplar describing the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVO)programme. Provides links to videos, case studies and annual reports.
• Equally Safe in School – whole school approach to prevent gender-based violence and increase confidence and skills in responding to incidents and disclosures of violence.
• NHS Awkward Moments - Professionals (Senior Phase) - Aimed at 16-19-year olds across Scotland, Awkward Moments was developed following research to better understand what helps young people communicate well about sexual consent and how they know when a sexual experience is going well.
• Periods (menstruation) videos - NHS inform - Dr Jacqueline Maylin, a senior research fellow and consultant gynaecologist, talks about periods.
• Menopause videos - NHS inform - Dr Sigi Joseph, a GP in Midlothian, talks about the menopause.

Complex needs & Additional Support Needs

• Meeting the needs of learners with ASN via the RSHP national learning and teaching resource – the starting point for RSHP education for learners with additional needs/disabilities is that they should be learning the same RSHP curriculum at the same time as their peers. On occasion learners with additional support needs/disabilities will benefit from additional or enhanced content available via the resource.
• Meeting the needs of learners with Complex ASN – the national resource offers content across 9 thematic units for educators, parents and carers providing RSHP education for learners with complex additional support needs. They are learners who, in terms of Curriculum for Excellence, are learning at what is described as pre-Early Level.
• Case Study from Rosslyn School, Fife – Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood case study (includes the Relationships Rucksack)
• National Complex Needs Network - practitioners can access this resources (GLOW login required). For local links to the network please email sam.nicholson@educationscotland.gov.scot
• RSHP Learning Difficulties Network - for more information please email yvonne.kerr@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
• Easy Read from NHS Inform - Find information on menstrual health and menopause in an easy read format.

RSHP Complex Webinar: April 2022

• The New RSHP resource for learners with complex additional support needs
• Engaging Families with their child’s learning in the context of RSHP
• RSHP in the curriculum & the close link with learning at home: One Schools Journey
• The national context for this resources development
• Question and Answers

Accreditation

• LGBT Charter for schools
• MVP Accreditation

Professional Learning

• Time for Inclusive Education
• Tackling Sexuality and Gender Identity Bullying
• Promoting healthy relationships in schools
• Think You Know
• Equality and Diversity: A Guide for Teachers
• Gender Stereotypes
• Zero Tolerance
• Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People