Relationships and Sexuality Education Curriculum: A Comprehensive Overview
Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) is a crucial aspect of a young person's development. RSE promotes students’ social emotional skills, builds the foundation of healthy relationships, and develops awareness of broader social, cultural and environmental contexts that influence wellbeing. It encompasses learning about relationships, bodies, gender, and sexualities. RSE promotes students’ social emotional skills, builds the foundation of healthy relationships, and develops awareness of broader social, cultural and environmental contexts that influence wellbeing.
Unlike traditional "sex education," which often focuses solely on the physical and biological aspects of sex, RSE adopts a holistic model of health, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social dimensions of human sexuality. It equips children and young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that help them to protect their health, develop respectful social and sexual relationships, make responsible choices and understand and protect the rights of others.
The Importance of Early RSE
Quality RSE should commence as early as Year 1 in primary school. Starting early builds the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to develop a positive sense of identity, decision-making skills, healthy relationships, respect for others, and critical thinking. RSE knowledge and skills support the wellbeing of students as they progress through primary school and approach puberty. Many schools have RSE at the senior primary level that explores the physical changes at puberty.
An extensive literature review of 30 years of data on the effectiveness of comprehensive sex education (CSE) found that CSE can increase knowledge about the body’s changing needs, decrease shame and anxiety about sexuality, improve communication skills, and expand understandings of gender identity and social norms. Furthermore, CSE can develop children’s media literacy skills, promote inclusion and healthy relationships, and improve sexual abuse disclosure rates. Key findings relevant for primary school teachers are that CSE needs to start in junior primary school.
Children are growing up in a changing world where families are more diverse, information is available at a touch of a button, and social media is part of life. Children and young people are also challenging gender norms and stereotypes and the impact these have on wellbeing. It is beneficial for schools to explore what parts of the whole-school approach support a holistic RSE programme of learning.
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Key Components of a Comprehensive RSE Curriculum
A well-structured RSE curriculum covers a wide array of topics, tailored to different age groups and developmental stages. The UN’s global guidance on sexuality education outlines a set of learning objectives beginning at the age of 5. These are intended to be adapted to a country’s local context and curriculum. These topics include, but are not limited to, families and relationships; respect, consent and bodily autonomy; anatomy, puberty and menstruation; contraception and pregnancy; and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
For younger learners, teaching about sexuality does not necessarily mean teaching about sex. For instance, for younger age groups, CSE may help children learn about their bodies and to recognize their feelings and emotions, while discussing family life and different types of relationships, decision-making, the basic principles of consent and what to do if violence, bullying or abuse occur.
Here are some guidelines about what effective RSE covers across the primary school years, based on Relationships and sexuality education: A guide for teachers, leaders and boards of trustees, Years 1-8:
- Early Years: Students learn about recognizing body parts, body safety, hygiene, showing respect for self and others.
- Middle Years: They learn the skills to develop and maintain friendships, express their feelings and needs, and know who to ask for help. Students can explain how bodies change over time. They can give and receive consent, including in online spaces.
- Upper Primary: They continue to develop relationships skills through developing interpersonal skills such as listening, taking turns, recognizing the feelings of others, and showing caring and compassion. Students start to learn about pubertal change from a holistic perspective and recognise that everyone is different. They start to understand that there are different types of relationships and how these can influence wellbeing. They learn skills to enhance relationships, such as giving or withholding consent and strategies to enhance relationships.
- Transition to Secondary: Students learn more about pubertal change and how it relates to social norms around gender and sexuality. They develop an understanding of conception and contraception and how this relates to wellbeing. They further develop their skills to manage relationships and explore topics like love, attraction, consent, communication, and social media effects.
In consultation with the wishes and needs of students and the school community, the above key learning ideas will support schools to develop a comprehensive learning programme.
Effective Teaching Methodologies and Resources
Several evidence-based programs and curricula can be integrated into RSE to enhance its effectiveness. These programs often employ interactive activities, group discussions, role-playing, and culturally relevant approaches to engage students and promote learning.
Read also: Sexuality Educator Certification
Here are some examples of programs designed to promote safer sexual behaviors, reduce risky behaviors, and provide knowledge and skills related to sexual health:
- 17 Days: An evidence-based STD risk-reduction program that uses an interactive video to encourage safer sexual behaviors among female high school students. The video includes vignettes featuring ethnically diverse young women involved in realistic scenarios related to sexual risk behavior, where the viewer must choose what action the character should take from different options.
- Aban Aya Youth Project: An evidence-based social development program designed for African-American youth in grades five through eight. The curriculum emphasizes abstinence from sexual activity, avoiding drug and alcohol use, and nonviolent conflict resolution.
- All4You!: An evidence-based pregnancy-, STD-, and HIV-prevention program designed for students ages 14-18 attending alternative high schools. The program includes both classroom instruction and a service learning component, aims to reduce the frequency of unprotected sex among participants.
- Be Proud! Be Responsible!: An evidence-based HIV-prevention curriculum originally designed for urban, African-American males ages 13-18. The curriculum seeks to provide young people with the knowledge, motivation, and skills necessary to reduce their risk of contracting HIV or other STDs, and causing unintended pregnancy.
- Be Proud! Be Responsible! Be Protective!: An evidence-based program that targets pregnant and parenting teens and focuses on the concept of maternal protectiveness to encourage adolescent mothers and soon-to-be mothers to make healthy sexual decisions, take responsibility and be accountable for their sexual activity, and decrease risky sexual behavior.
- Being a Responsible Teen (BART): An evidence-based HIV/AIDS-prevention education curriculum designed for African-American youth ages 14-18. BART teaches students to reduce sexual risk taking by promoting safer sex practices while also teaching that abstinence is the most effective way to prevent HIV and unintended pregnancy.
- Children’s Aid Society-Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (CAS-Carrera): An evidence-based positive youth development program designed for students in grades six through twelve. The program consists of seven integrated components that can be delivered in an after- or in-school setting over the course of a year.
- Circle of Life: Circle of Life is a culturally competent, HIV-prevention education curriculum designed for use with Native American youth. The curriculum incorporates traditional symbols and storytelling specific to Native American culture in order to increase knowledge, skills, and behavior change among participants.
- ¡Cuídate!: An evidence-based HIV-prevention curriculum adapted from the evidence-based curriculum, Be Proud! Be Responsible!, and tailored for use with Latino youth ages 13-18.
- Draw the Line/Respect the Line: An evidence-based program designed to teach youth in grades six through eight to postpone sexual involvement while providing information about condoms and contraception.
- FatherWorks: “A comprehensive intervention” designed to reduce the incidence of repeat fatherhood among young men, which provides participants with the “motivation, opportunities and skills needed to change risk behavior.”
- FOCUS: An evidence-based intervention that addresses such issues as responsible behavior, relationships, and HIV/STD and p…
It is also important to consider programs that take an ideological approach to sexuality education that promotes abstinence until marriage to the exclusion of providing full and complete information to young people. Such programs have not been proven effective in impacting sexual behavior. At best these programs are ineffective and at worst they may be harmful to youth.
- ASPIRE: ASPIRE is based on one set of values and opinions-that marriage should be everyone’s ultimate goal and that sex outside of marriage is wrong-which it tries to pass off as universally held truths.
- Basic Training: Basic Training focuses on “puberty science” for students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. WAIT Training is an AOUM curriculum that uses fear- and shame-based tactics to promote abstinence as the only appropriate behavior outside of marriage.
- Choosing the Best: Choosing the Best curricula continue to promote heterosexual marriage, rely on messages of fear and shame, and include biases about gender, sexual orientation, and pregnancy options.
Addressing "Tricky Questions" and Ensuring a Safe Learning Environment
Teachers often worry about answering perceived ‘tricky questions’ in RSE. However, with proper preparation and a supportive school environment, these questions can be addressed effectively.
Here are some guidelines adapted from the Ministry of Education material written for teachers to develop their comfort and confidence in answering questions:
- Be prepared for questions on a wide variety of topics.
- It is fine to indicate to students that, while sexuality is normal, some people find it uncomfortable and difficult to talk about.
- If you do not know the answer or are uncomfortable answering straight away, tell the class that you will check it out and get back to them the next day.
- Be honest but do not answer personal questions that relate to you specifically.
- If the question is very specific to the student, consider whether the whole class needs to hear the answer.
- If a student’s question communicates offensive or discriminatory messages, you will need to deal with this sensitively by making clear to the class at the time the inappropriateness of the question.
- Use a question box to give you time to consider your response, so this method means you are less likely to be put on the spot.
- If you decide that you will not answer a question from the question box, give students a reason.
- For help-seeking and disclosure type questions, ensure you are familiar with your school child protection policy and procedures.
It is important that you feel confident and comfortable with teaching RSE, including responding to questions, so seek support from your colleagues if needed. Always ensure you talk to other teachers about any concerns and follow school guidelines.
Read also: What is AASECT Certification?
Community Consultation and a Whole-School Approach
Quality RSE is based on a whole-school approach to relationships and sexuality. An example of a whole-school approach to wellbeing is promoting inclusion and diversity. Exploring how classroom programmes (in health and across the curriculum) reflect learning about gender diversity. Aligning school policies, practices and the physical environment to support inclusion and foster openness.
It is important for schools to reflect on the importance of community consultation to ascertain the needs of their community. Consultation involves more than informing the school community on what will be taught - it should be a transparent and shared process. In New Zealand, it is a requirement that, at least once every two years, school boards consult the school community and adopt a statement on the delivery of the health curriculum, although the board may choose how to consult with the community. The purpose of the consultation is to enact a shared process to create a localised curriculum that meets the needs of students.
Effective community consultation involves board members and school leaders working together to consult with the community on how the school plans to deliver sexuality education as part of the health curriculum. There are many strategies that schools can use to consult with communities. Many schools carry out online surveys with their communities, but these surveys often do not have a high return rate and leave little room for collaboration.
A minimum of 12-15 hours spent per year on RSE is recommended, and the voices of students and their learning needs should guide planning.
The Role of Parents and Families
Families can be a critical place for young people to learn about their bodies and how to form healthy relationships. As young people get older, families and trusted adults can be a safe space and a support network for someone who is learning about sexual health and sexuality. Families can also have an important role in sharing values and personal perspectives.
Parents need to know that certain things are going to be broached as their children go through school. So that you can get some information for yourself to complement what's going on, so that you're ahead of the game a bit.
Parents can help by:
- Asking what their child's school is doing in RSE and how they can support them.
- Being an advocate for RSE.
- Talking to their child's school about having parent workshops.
Addressing Misconceptions and Promoting Accurate Information
It is crucial to dispel common misconceptions surrounding sexuality and sexual health. For example, CSE does not promote masturbation. However, in our documents, WHO recognizes that children start to explore their bodies through sight and touch at a relatively early age. This is an observation, not a recommendation.
Furthermore, there is clear evidence that abstinence-only programmes - which instruct young people to not have sex outside of marriage - are ineffective in preventing early sexual activity and risk-taking behaviour, and potentially harmful to young people’s sexual and reproductive health. CSE therefore addresses safer sex, preparing young people - after careful decision-making - for intimate relationships that may include sexual intercourse or other sexual activity.
The Broader Impact of RSE
Well-designed and well-delivered sexuality education programmes support positive decision-making around sexual health. Evidence consistently shows that high-quality sexuality education delivers positive health outcomes, with lifelong impacts. Young people are more likely to delay the onset of sexual activity - and when they do have sex, to practice safer sex - when they are better informed about their sexuality, sexual health and their rights.
Sexuality education also helps them prepare for and manage physical and emotional changes as they grow up, including during puberty and adolescence, while teaching them about respect, consent and where to go if they need help. By providing children and young people with adequate knowledge about their rights, and what is and is not acceptable behaviour, sexuality education makes them less vulnerable to abuse.
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