Relationship & Sexuality Education (RSE) is an important component of the health and physical education learning area of the curriculum. In this Update, find more information about 'Navigating the Journey,' the resource that we are using to help us meet the demands of the curriculum.

While some may see the word sexuality and think that this part of the curriculum is only relevant to older students, RSE is actually a comprehensive and holistic programme that covers many topics.

For younger learners, these topics include life skills, identity, respect, friendships and feelings, as well as the biological topic such as body parts and how reproduction works.

For older students, topics such as puberty, intimate relationships, contraceptives and sexually transmissible infections feature.

In the following charts, you can see what topics will be covered in each year with the Navigating the Journey resource.

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In 2018, the Education Review Office conducted an inquiry into how (and how well) RSE was being taught in schools in Aotearoa NZ. Their report "takes place at a time of significant global change" and the revised guidelines are informed by:

• shifting social norms in relation to gender and sexuality
• a commitment to respecting and protecting the sexual and reproductive rights of Māori
• Aotearoa New Zealand’s increasingly diverse population
• global shifts, including trends towards earlier puberty and changing family structures
• continued societal concerns about child protection and abuse prevention
• the increasing use of digital communications and devices by children and young people
• the rise of social media and the increasing availability of pornography and explicit sexual content online
• increasing recognition of the importance of learning about healthy relationships, including consent and respect, as part of social and emotional learning
• increasing calls for social inclusion and for the prevention of bullying and violence. 

When we are planning for the delivery of a programme like Navigating the Journey, schools need to:

• ensure inclusive environments for all young people

• allow their ākonga freedom of expression in relation to their gender identities and sexual orientation, including the right to determine their own identity and name

• include content on the diversity of sex characteristics, sexuality, and gender identities in their curriculum programmes. 

Delivery Plan

As this programme is designed for specific year levels, we are going to be teaching in this manner. Click on the link for more info. 

• Year 1/2: Ms Vincent
• Year 3/4: Mrs Renwick & Mrs Patel
• Year 5/6: Ms Stevens & Mrs Jolly
• Year 7/8: Ms Rayner

Our delivery plan has been developed to ensure that we can complete the lessons before the end of the term. We start delivery the programme from Week 1 of Term 3. Each class has a slightly different delivery schedule, so please see your class teacher for more information. 

Have questions? Comments? Recommendations? Concerns?

In Week 3, we will be holding our health community consultation. While not JUST about the relationship and sexuality guidelines, this is obviously a big part of our kōrero | discussion.