Schools in Nottingham are gearing up for the fourth annual Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) Day tomorrow (Thursday).

The event is now in its fourth year and involves pupils at schools right across the country – but was launched in Nottingham in 2018.

RSE Day encourages all people to see the topic of relationships and sex education as part of their responsibility, and understand its importance in safeguarding children and young people. It is a day to celebrate and share good practice in this important area of education.

The aim of RSE is to give pupils the skills they need to build positive and healthy relationships and stay safe, as well as offer factual information about the body, reproduction, sex and sexual health, and online safety in an age-appropriate way.

From September 2020, Relationships Education is now a statutory subject in primary, with Relationships and Sex Education required at secondary. All phases also need to deliver Health Education.

This year’s RSE Day livestream has been sponsored by Discovery Education Health and Relationships.  It features a whole day of creative RSE workshops and is being live-streamed to schools across the country through the Council’s YouTube channel. It includes:

  • A Welcome From Nottingham film
  • Rosehill School, Nottingham, will feature in Discovery Education’s national Great Big RSE Day Assembly at 9.10am
  • The creation of a nationwide friendship tree
  • Local host Jon Rea will be sharing what schools in Nottingham and across the country are doing throughout the day
  • The Faces of RSE Day film featuring people from around the country talking about healthy relationships will play at 10.25am
  • There will be a live link up to Oakfield School in Nottingham at 1.55pm
  • Sid Sloane, from CBeebies, will bring the livestream to a close with a story

Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark, Portfolio Holder for Schools at Nottingham City Council, said: “RSE Day is now an annual event celebrated by schools right across the country and I’m so proud that it started three years ago here in Nottingham.

“We know from our on-going work with headteachers how important this is for children and young people in terms of highlighting the need for safe and healthy relationships. The lessons in schools are all age-appropriate and pupils are taught by experienced staff who understand how to deliver these messages.

“I’m delighted that we’ve teamed up this year with Discovery Education Health and Relationships, which has kindly sponsored RSE Day 2021, and we’re looking forward to the all-day live streaming of events. It’s also fantastic that children from Nottingham’s Rosehill School will be taking part in a national assembly on Thursday.”

Hazel Carter, Marketing Director of Discovery Education, said: “We’re proud to support this year’s RSE Day. It’s never been more important for children to access great Health and Relationships Education and for schools to have the resources to teach it with confidence.

“We’re looking forward to sharing the impact that our Health and Relationships programme is having in a special live assembly and to celebrating with pupils and teachers from across the UK.”