St. Bede's Catholic Junior School
Relationship, Sex and Health Education
The governors at St. Bede’s Catholic Junior School have adopted the 'Journey in Love’ programme to support the non-statutory Relationships and Sex Education in Years 3- 6. The programme of study is authentic to the teaching of the Catholic Church.
If you require any further clarification regarding this aspect of the curriculum please contact: Mrs. Tiernan. Additionally, if you have any comments regarding any aspects of the physical themes, please send an email to [email protected]
Below is a brief outline of the content of the programme:
Year 3: How we live in love
Children know and understand the virtues essential to friendship, e.g. loyalty, responsibility. They experience the importance both of forgiving and being forgiven and of celebrating God’s forgiveness.
Year 4: God loves us in our differences
Children know and understand that they are all different and celebrate these differences as they appreciate that God’s love accepts us as we are and as we change.
Year 5: God loves me in my changing and developing
Children know and become aware of the physical and emotional changes that accompany puberty – sensitivity, mood swings, anger, boredom etc. They grow further in their understanding of God’s presence in their daily lives.
Year 6: The wonder of God’s love in creating new life
Children develop, in an appropriate way for their age, an understanding of sexuality and grow further in their appreciation of their dignity and worth as children of God.
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Theme |
Physical |
Social |
Emotional |
Intellectual |
Spiritual |
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N |
Wonder at God’s Love Learning Objective: Children begin to know and understand that they are part of the wonder of God’s love and creation. Key words and facts: God, wonder, love, creation, hands, fingers, nails, faces, noses, lips, ears, hair, features, colour, shape, size |
Children focus on their hands, eyes and faces | Do we all look the same? Boys and girls. We are all unique | Focus on facial expressions and the beauty of a smile. | What makes me happy and sad? | The wonders of God’s world. I am part of God’s special creation. | |
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R |
God loves each of us in our uniqueness Learning Objective: Children know and understand that God has made them unique and that although we are all different we are all special to him. Key words and facts:God, unique, different, special, eyes, hair, boy/girl, hands, fingers, name, family, love, womb, describe. 'I grew for 9 months in my mummy's womb before I was born.' |
Does it matter if we are different? How are we different?
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Who do I play with? Why does X play with me? Favourite games |
How do you feel about your friends? Do you have other friends at home? Why do you play with them? |
Is it important to have friends? Describe a good friend |
Is Jesus our friend? Jesus makes children welcome -scripture. Who is the mother of Jesus? Jesus grew for nine months in Mary's womb. |
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Y1 |
We meet God's love in our family Learning objective: Children know and understand that they are growing and developing as members of their own family and God's family. Key words and facts:Unique, friend, God, important, different, special |
Who is in my family? Do you have babies in your family? Discuss differences and how babies change and grow. | Share their own growth and development. |
What are the happiest moments in your family? What are the saddest moments? How is love shown in your family? |
Why do we need to grow up in families? |
We are members of God's family? How were we born into God's family? What special titles do we give to God as members of His family? |
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Y2 |
We meet God's love in the community Learning Objective: Children know and understand that they are growing and developing in a God-given community. Key words: God, community, family, father/mother, carer/guardian, feelings, emotions |
Do you belong to a community? How do you belong to a community? |
Is belonging to a community important? What do we receive/give? |
How does a community help us to develop our feelings and emotions? Are we always happy in our community? |
Could people feel alone even though they belong to a community? What are the advantages of being on your own? |
If God is called 'Our Father' what does that make us? As children of God how should we treat each other? |
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Y3 |
How we live in love Learning Objective: Children know and understand the virtues essential to friendship, eg loyalty, responsibility... and experience the importance both of forgiving and being forgiven and of celebrating God's forgiveness. Key words: personal privacy, personal space |
Who takes care of me? How do I look after myself? How am I changing? |
How do I keep myself safe? How do I help others to make and keep friends? How do I take care of others? |
How do you feel when a friend is not there for you? ...you are not there for them? How can you be a more supportive friend? |
Can you recognise the difference between being alone and being lonely?
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How can I forgive and include others? | |
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Y4 |
God love us in our differences Learning Objective: Children know and understand that they are all different and celebrate these differences as they appreciate that God's love accepts us as we are and as we change. Key words and facts: gifts, talents, difference, development, change, conflict, appreciate, celebrate, achievement, male and female body parts
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Continue to recognise that all children grow and develop at different rates. Name male and female body parts and various functions. Development of baby in womb. |
How do I learn to accept and celebrate who I am? How do I deal with difference and manage conflict? |
How do I appreciate my own gifts, talents, achievements and all that makes me unique, and those of others? How do I deal with the natural, negative emotions that present themselves? |
Can I identify and understand my feelings? How do I deal with feelings? |
Love in scripture. | |
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Y5 |
God loves me in my changing and development Learning Objective: Children know and become aware of the physical and emotional changes that accompany puberty - sensitivity, mood swings, anger, boredom etc. and grow further in their understanding of God's presence in their daily lives. Key words and facts: God, sensitivity, puberty, presence, celebrate, external, internal, change, develop, menstruation, ovulation, production, reproduction, hormones |
Identify and celebrate changes since birth and the external/internal changes which happen in puberty. Recognise that these changes are a natural part of human growth and that physical change means the ability to become a parent. The purpose of the menstrual cycle is to prepare the female body for reproduction. Discuss menstruation and ovulation. |
Recognise and reflect on social and emotional changes as we grow up. Reflect on ways to become more sensitive to the emotional development of ourselves and others. |
Share understanding and celebrate the wonder of change. | |||
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Y6 |
The wonder of God's love in creating new life Learning Objective: Children develop, in an appropriate way for their age, an understanding of sexuality and grow further in their appreciation of their dignity and worth as children of God. Key words: appropriate, dignity, sexuality, intercourse, conceive, relationship, uterus, fallopian tubes, marriage |
Conception of human life, looking at illustrations of reproductive organs. Sexual intercourse as a joyful expression of love. Facts: penis is placed in vagina and releases sperm which swims to the uterus and into the fallopian tubes. Growth of baby. |
Recognise signs of love expressed by those around us. Reflect on the different degrees of friendship which exist. | Developing relationships, love and commitment |
God created the natural process by which new life is brought into the world. The Church celebrates this in the Sacrament of Marriage |
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