Thread by @RSHPSIG

This thread gives accurate and current info about an online resource that helps deliver relationships, sexual health and parenthood (#rshp) education in Scotland’s schools, rshp.scot. There's some inaccurate info on social media, read on for the facts... 1/25

Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is the national approach to learning and teaching for young people aged 3 to 18 in Scotland. It provides significant flexibility, within broad national guidelines, for teachers to develop lessons which best meet the needs of learners. 2/25

Health and wellbeing (HWB) is one of the eight curricular areas in Curriculum for Excellence. Along with literacy and numeracy, HWB is one of the three core areas that are the responsibility of all staff in the school. 3/25

Learning in HWB 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 now and in the future. 4/25

RSHP education is not new and is an integral part of the HWB area of the school curriculum in Scotland that has been in place for over 10 years. It is intended to help children and young people build positive relationships as they grow older. 5/25

RSHP education is age and stage appropriate, and places sexual relationships in their proper context, e.g. in the context of loving, committed, equal, mutually respectful relationships. It promotes delay and conversations about readiness. 6/25

RSHP educ is a process of development, ensuring info about RSHP not given in isolation but part of a prog of a range of issues on personal and social development, healthy living, values and beliefs which reinforce self-worth, respect for others and a sense of responsibility. 7/25

RSHP education emphasises to young people the importance of love, respect and commitment in contrast to the sexualised and sexist messages that proliferate popular culture. 8/25

RSHP education equips children and young people with resilience, knowledge and skills to better identify, protect themselves and get help in relation to child sexual abuse, grooming, coercive control, sexual harassment, gender based violence and discrimination. 9/25

RSHP educ helps teach c&yp to filter what they see around them, keeps them safer and encourages thinking about rights and responsibilities. If not provided consistently young people have no choice but to access info from whatever (unregulated) sources available to them. 10/25

RSHP education supports children and young people to navigate their way through the online world. Regardless of intention to access it, they now also have unprecedented free access to pornography, some of which features sexual acts which are violent and extreme. 11/25

RSHP learning is delivered using the experiences and outcomes of CfE as well as the benchmarks for learning. They were also informed by the WHO Recommendations on Sexuality Education, the Review of PSE in Scotland, and the aspirations of Getting It Right For Every Child. 12/25

They are based on the international research evidence base on RSHP education. Importantly the learning intentions meet the requests for improved delivery of RSHP which young people themselves have requested in multiple consultation and evaluation exercises. 13/25

There are many resources available to teachers to help them deliver meaningful RSHP learning. A summary of RSHP education resources is available at education.gov.scot/improvement/le…. 14/25

rshp.scot, is one resource and development was led by a collaborative partnership of health boards and local authorities to help improve delivery of the existing curriculum. 15/25

The resource provides teachers with factual info on topics such as sexual and reproductive health, in a non-judgemental manner, so c&yp make informed decisions about their lives. Development of resource ensured learning outcomes remained age-appropriate in all CfE levels. 16/25

All the images used in the resource are suitable for learners at the required stage and the images used are unambiguous without being salacious. No pornographic imagery is used and great care was also taken to ensure the images do not reinforce negative stereotypes. 17/25

All available content was quality assured and peer reviewed by a partnership of educators, health professionals and third sector organisations. The resource was also informed by extensive feedback from teachers, parents and other professionals over the 2018/19 acad year. 18/25

A process of review and refinement was followed until final content was agreed and the resource was published in September 2019. 19/25

As well as open process where anyone contributed, a number of schools were recruited as pilot settings. Resource was informed by over 1,000 primary and secondary teachers, piloted in 38 schools across the country. Feedback came from learners as well as parents and carers. 20/25

The resource does not in any way promote underage sexual activity or use of porn. Neither does it expose young children to sexualised content. Learning should, and will always, be age and stage appropriate. 21/25

For example, the session in the Senior Phase on pornography supports young people to think critically about pornography. It highlights the harm pornography can have and the exploitation involved. 22/25

Learning intention is for yp to develop own views on porn and learn approaches to manage exposure to it. Explains porn is a medium which people are objectified, hurt and exploited and yp have the choice to watch it or not. Helps them to think critically about views on porn. 23/25

“Building the Curriculum 5” document makes clear values of inclusivity lie at its heart. States ‘curriculum must be inclusive, a stimulus for personal achievement and must, through broadening of experience, be an encouragement towards informed and responsible citizenship’. 24/25

Requirement for inclusive educ recognises adverse experiences consistently reported by LGBT+ yp in Scotland’s schools on lack of visibility, bullying, discrimination and diffs in health outcomes including mental and sexual health which this causes. 25/25 ends

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@EducationScot @COSLA @COSLA_CYP @ADEScotland @EISUnion @parentforumscot @connect_scot @healthy_respect @SandyfordNHSGGC @TesScotland

@ScotGovEdu @OfficialSYP @CYPCS @Creative_Voices @NAllianceScot @wp_education @NSPCC_Scotland @rapecrisisscot @EngenderScot @LGBTYS @StonewallScot @tiecampaign @RSHPscot

education.gov.scot/education-scot…

education.gov.scot/media/tbhpydja…

Also, to be clear - #rshp education is separate from the Health and Wellbeing (#hwb) census. It is important not to conflate these separate parts of the education landscape. More info on the census at gov.scot/publications/h…