Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) | North Oxfordshire Academy

Our RSE Policy

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) forms part of our wider PSHCE curriculum at North Oxfordshire Academy. Our provision is designed to help students develop the knowledge and understanding they need to build healthy relationships, make informed decisions and keep themselves and others safe.

Our RSE policy sets out how Relationships and Sex Education is provided at the academy, including the content and delivery of the curriculum, how provision is monitored and evaluated, and the rights of parents and carers.

RSE Policy

Our Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) policy is currently being reviewed in line with the Department for Education's statutory guidance effective from September 2026. The updated policy will be published here following the academy's review and consultation process.

Please visit our Policies page for this policy.

Right to Withdraw from Sex Education

Parents and carers have the right to request that their child is withdrawn from some or all of the sex education provided as part of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), other than content that forms part of the National Curriculum for Science.

There is no right to withdraw from Relationships Education or Health Education.

Requests for withdrawal should be made to the Principal. Before granting a request, the Principal will discuss the request with the parent or carer and, where appropriate, the student, to ensure that their wishes are understood and to explain the nature and purpose of the curriculum.

In accordance with statutory guidance, once a student is three terms away from turning 16, they may choose to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn. Where this applies, the academy will make arrangements for the student to receive the teaching before they turn 16.

Working with Parents and Carers

We recognise the important role that parents and carers play in educating their children about relationships, health and wellbeing. The academy works in partnership with families and will provide information about our RSE curriculum and approach.

Parents and carers are consulted when the academy's RSE policy is developed or reviewed. The policy will explain how this consultation informs our approach while ensuring that the academy continues to meet its statutory responsibilities.

What Students Learn

Our Relationships, Sex and Health Education is planned in line with current Department for Education statutory guidance and is appropriate to students' age and stage of development.

Through the curriculum, students develop their knowledge and understanding of healthy and respectful relationships, online and personal safety, physical and mental wellbeing, healthy lifestyles and the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions.

Learning is carefully sequenced so that students build on their knowledge and understanding as they progress through the academy.