RSHE & PSHCE: Life to the Full
Growing in faith, confidence and love for ourselves and one another.
At Sacred Heart, we want every child to know that they are created and loved by God, to recognise their own dignity and worth, and to develop caring, respectful relationships with others.
Our relationships, sex and health education and our personal, social, health, citizenship and economic education help children develop the knowledge, understanding and confidence they need to live healthy, safe and fulfilling lives.
Children are encouraged to care for themselves and others, contribute to their communities and put our school motto, Ut Diligatis Invicem — Love one another, into action.
What do RSHE and PSHCE mean?
RSHE
Relationships, Sex and Health Education helps children learn about positive relationships, looking after their physical and mental health, growing and changing, and keeping themselves safe.
PSHCE
Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship and Economic Education helps children understand themselves and others, look after their wellbeing, make responsible choices and play an active part in their communities.
It includes learning about responsibilities, money, citizenship and future aspirations.
These areas are closely connected. Together they help children make thoughtful choices, develop healthy habits and build skills for life.
Our programme: Life to the Full
At Sacred Heart, we follow Life to the Full Primary and Life to the Full Plus, programmes from Ten Ten Resources created for Catholic primary schools.
Life to the Full Primary provides a framework for relationships and health education rooted in the Christian belief that each person is loved by God.
Life to the Full Plus is an additional programme that builds on Life to the Full Primary. It brings wider PSHE learning into the programme, including transitions, rights and responsibilities, money and careers.
Children revisit and develop their understanding of important themes as they move through school. Learning can include stories, discussion, activities, short videos and opportunities for prayer and reflection.
Our wider curriculum, pupil leadership opportunities and experiences across school also help children put their citizenship learning into practice.
Our Catholic faith is at the heart of this learning. Children are encouraged to recognise the value of every person, show compassion and respect, make responsible choices and contribute to a community of love.
The three themes of Life to the Full
Learning is organised around three connected themes. Children return to these themes as they move through school, building on what they already know.
1. Created and Loved by God
Children learn about their uniqueness and dignity, their bodies, their feelings, their health, and the changes that take place as they grow.
They are encouraged to understand that they are precious and loved, and to care for themselves.
2. Created to Love Others
Children explore family life, friendship and other relationships. They learn about kindness, respect, forgiveness, appropriate boundaries and how to seek help when something does not feel right.
This theme also includes relationships and safety online.
3. Created to Live in Community
Children consider their place in their family, school, parish and wider world. They explore how people can work together, care for their neighbours and contribute to the common good.
Life to the Full Plus extends this learning to include wider PSHE and citizenship-related topics.
What might children learn about?
The programme includes a broad range of topics. Learning is adapted to children’s ages, stages of development and needs.
Knowing and caring for ourselves
- Recognising that each person is unique and valued.
- Naming and talking about feelings.
- Looking after physical and emotional wellbeing.
- Healthy habits, hygiene, rest and sleep.
- Growing, changing and understanding life cycles.
- Learning about puberty as children grow older.
Relationships and keeping safe
- Family life, friendships and caring for others.
- Kindness, respect, forgiveness and resolving difficulties.
- Recognising appropriate boundaries.
- Knowing when something feels unsafe and asking for help.
- Understanding that people can be hurt by bullying.
- Making safe and respectful choices online.
Living in the wider world
- Belonging to different communities.
- Recognising rights and responsibilities.
- Working together and helping others.
- Understanding needs and wants.
- Developing an understanding of money.
- Thinking about gifts, talents and future possibilities.
Making safe and healthy choices
- Identifying trusted adults who can help.
- Understanding medicines and harmful substances.
- Making sensible decisions in everyday situations.
- Learning how to respond when someone needs help.
- Recognising risks and knowing how to report concerns.
Citizenship at Sacred Heart
Citizenship helps children understand that they belong to communities and that their choices and actions can make a difference. It encourages them to listen to others, recognise rights and responsibilities, care for the world around them and contribute to the common good.
At Sacred Heart, citizenship is explored through Life to the Full Plus, our wider curriculum, Catholic Social Teaching and the everyday experiences of school life.
Pupil voice and democracy
Children are encouraged to share their ideas, listen to different viewpoints and take part in decisions that affect school life. Our Pupil Parliament gives pupils opportunities to represent others and contribute to our school community.
Rights, responsibilities and respect
Children explore fairness, human rights, British values and the responsibilities that come with belonging to a community. They learn to recognise the dignity of every person and to treat others with respect.
Service and the common good
Through pupil leadership, ministry, charitable activities and everyday acts of kindness, children have opportunities to help others and put their faith into action.
Caring for creation
Children learn that caring for our common home is a shared responsibility. Our farm, outdoor environment and sustainability work provide opportunities to care for living things and the world around us.
Belonging and participation: whether in school, parish, the local community or the wider world, we want children to recognise that everyone has gifts to share and can make a positive contribution.
Learning as children grow
Children’s understanding develops over time. The following overview gives families an idea of how learning can develop across primary school. Please speak to your child’s teacher if you would like to know more about the teaching planned for their class.
Early Years Foundation Stage
Younger children begin by exploring how special and unique they are. They learn about feelings, family and friendship, caring for their bodies, being kind, and the people who can help them.
Key Stage 1: Years 1 and 2
Children build their understanding of healthy routines, feelings and relationships. They explore how to treat others well, recognise when they need help, and understand that people and living things grow and change.
Lower Key Stage 2: Years 3 and 4
Children continue to develop their understanding of friendship, feelings, personal safety, online life and belonging. They begin to explore changes that happen as people grow, alongside the importance of respecting and caring for their bodies.
Upper Key Stage 2: Years 5 and 6
Older children deepen their understanding of physical and emotional changes, including puberty. They explore healthy relationships, pressures and choices, online safety, wellbeing and their responsibilities to others.
The Ten Ten programme also contains resources about human reproduction. Families can ask their child’s teacher about the content selected for their child’s class and how it relates to the science curriculum and the school’s relationships and sex education policy.
This is a general overview of the programme, not a lesson-by-lesson timetable. Teachers select and adapt learning for their pupils and the school’s curriculum.
Working in partnership with families
Parents and carers are the first educators of their children. We value the conversations that take place at home and want to work with families so that children feel supported as they learn and grow.
Ten Ten provides an online Parent Portal to help you understand the Life to the Full programme and support your child’s learning at home. Through the portal, you can explore information about the programme, lesson summaries, videos, prayers and suggestions for activities and conversations at home.
Access the Ten Ten Parent Portal
Sacred Heart families can access the Parent Portal using the school’s shared login details:
Username: sacred-heart-bl5
Password: kings&queens
Select the button below, then enter the username and password exactly as shown.
Parent Consultation Tool
Ten Ten’s Parent Consultation Tool gives families further information about the programme and the age-appropriate learning that children may experience.
Talking together at home
Simple, open conversations can help children feel confident about asking questions. You might talk about friendship, feelings, kindness, growing up, healthy routines or how to find help when something worries them.
You do not need to have every answer straight away. Listening carefully and reassuring your child that they can talk to you or another trusted adult is a valuable place to start.
Government guidance for families
The Department for Education’s statutory guidance sets out what schools should teach about relationships, sex and health education. The revised guidance came into effect on 1 September 2026.
What is compulsory?
Relationships education is compulsory for all primary school pupils. Health education is also compulsory in state-funded primary schools.
Children also learn relevant scientific content through the national curriculum for science.
What about sex education?
Sex education beyond the national curriculum for science is not compulsory in primary schools. Where a primary school chooses to teach it, parents may request that their child is withdrawn from those sex education lessons.
Parents cannot withdraw children from relationships education, health education or the national curriculum for science.
Seeing what your child will learn
Families can ask to see the curriculum materials used for relationships, sex and health education. If you would like to discuss the content, the school’s policy or a question about withdrawal, please speak to your child’s teacher.
At primary level, citizenship is not a separate statutory national curriculum subject. Schools can include citizenship in their wider curriculum and in personal, social, health and economic education.
Questions or queries?
If you have any questions about RSHE, PSHCE, citizenship, Life to the Full, the Parent Portal, the resources being used or what your child will be learning, please contact your child’s teacher.
We are always happy to listen, explain the learning and work together to support your child.
More than a school. A community of love.