National Year 9 Religious Education and RSHE

1. Relationships and sex education (secondary)

Families · Respectful relationships · Online safety and awareness · Being safe · Intimate and sexual relationships and sexual health

• Relationships and Families: Types, Marriage and Equality – Families take many forms: nuclear, extended, single-parent, blended and same-sex parent. Their purpose is to care, raise children, pass on values and give safety. Committed relationships include marriage, civil partnership and cohabitation; marriage needs free consent and a legal minimum age, and forced or child marriage is illegal in many countries. Religions hold different views on sex before marriage, contraception, same-sex marriage, divorce and remarriage. Gender equality means men and women share roles and respect, and gender prejudice and discrimination are unfair. A relationship with control, fear or violence is unsafe and help is available.
• Healthy Relationships – A healthy relationship, with family, friends or a partner, is built on respect, trust, honesty, equality and open talk. Each person keeps their own friends, choices and boundaries. Control, put-downs, pressure, jealousy and violence are warning signs. Consent means a free, clear yes that can be taken back at any time. Conflicts are normal and can be solved calmly; when someone feels unsafe they should tell a trusted adult or call a helpline.
• Digital Footprints and Netiquette – A digital footprint is the trail of data we leave online. Active footprints are shared on purpose (posts, comments, forms); passive footprints are collected without us noticing (cookies, browsing history, location, IP address). Footprints are hard to erase and can be seen by others later. We live in a digital society where learning, banking, shopping and government services are online; a responsible user of it is a digital citizen (netizen). Net etiquette means being ethical (respect copyright, share reliable information), respectful (privacy, diversity, no bullying) and responsible (avoid oversharing, don't feed trolls). Communication etiquette asks us to be precise, polite and credible; social media etiquette asks us to choose passwords and privacy settings wisely, think before uploading, and verify before sharing.
• Personal Safety: Staying Safe from Abuse, Accidents and Danger – Personal safety means knowing the warning signs of danger and knowing what to do. Spot grooming and abuse early, use the rule NO, GO, TELL, keep a circle of trusted adults, call 112 calmly in an emergency, and in wartime or disasters drop, take cover and never touch unknown objects.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health: The Basics Every Teen Should Know – Sexual health means staying safe, respected and well in relationships. Consent is a clear, free yes that can be taken back at any time; silence, pressure, being drunk or being under the legal age mean there is no consent. Contraception prevents pregnancy; long-acting methods (implant, IUD) work best, and only condoms also protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). STIs spread through sexual contact, often with no symptoms, so testing matters; most can be cured or controlled. A pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks; a missed period is often the first sign and a test confirms it. The options are parenting, adoption or abortion, and the law differs between countries. Confidential help is available from doctors, nurses and clinics.

2. Health and wellbeing (secondary)

Mental wellbeing · Wellbeing online · Physical health, fitness and healthy eating · Drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping · Health protection and prevention · Personal safety and first aid · Developing bodies

• Mental Health: Feelings, Stress and Support – Mental health is how we think, feel, cope and get along with others. Like physical health, everyone has it and it moves up and down. Emotions are useful signals. Stress adds up like water in a bucket; healthy coping (sleep, movement, talking, calm breathing, planning) lets it drain. Self-esteem and good relationships protect us. If feelings stay very heavy for two weeks or more, or stop daily life, talk to a trusted adult or a professional — asking for help is a sign of strength.
• Digital Footprints and Netiquette – A digital footprint is the trail of data we leave online. Active footprints are shared on purpose (posts, comments, forms); passive footprints are collected without us noticing (cookies, browsing history, location, IP address). Footprints are hard to erase and can be seen by others later. We live in a digital society where learning, banking, shopping and government services are online; a responsible user of it is a digital citizen (netizen). Net etiquette means being ethical (respect copyright, share reliable information), respectful (privacy, diversity, no bullying) and responsible (avoid oversharing, don't feed trolls). Communication etiquette asks us to be precise, polite and credible; social media etiquette asks us to choose passwords and privacy settings wisely, think before uploading, and verify before sharing.
• Healthy Lifestyle: Daily Habits That Keep You Well – A healthy lifestyle is a set of daily habits: a balanced diet from five food groups, enough water, 9–11 hours of sleep for school-age children and about 8–10 for teenagers, at least 60 minutes of activity a day, good posture, safe food handling and avoiding tobacco, alcohol and drugs. These habits lower the risk of lifestyle (non-communicable) diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
• Addiction: How It Starts and How to Stay Free – Addiction is losing control over a substance or a behaviour, even when it causes harm. It can be to substances (tobacco, alcohol, drugs, misused medicines) or to behaviours (gaming, gambling, social media). Each use gives the brain a burst of dopamine, which teaches it to repeat the action; with time tolerance grows and you need more. Warning signs are craving, loss of control, compulsion and carrying on despite harm. Protection comes from refusal skills, healthy rewards, sleep and routine, and asking for help early. Addiction is treatable.
• Health and Disease – Health is complete physical, mental and social well-being, not just the absence of disease. Communicable diseases are caused by pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists) and spread from person to person, through air, water, food, touch or animals. Non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, many cancers and high blood pressure do not spread; they are linked to genes, age and lifestyle. We prevent disease with hygiene, clean water, vaccines, a balanced diet, exercise, sleep, not smoking, and regular check-ups and self-checks. Antibiotics kill bacteria but not viruses; misusing them breeds resistant bacteria. Medicines must be taken as the leaflet or doctor says.
• Personal Safety: Staying Safe from Abuse, Accidents and Danger – Personal safety means knowing the warning signs of danger and knowing what to do. Spot grooming and abuse early, use the rule NO, GO, TELL, keep a circle of trusted adults, call 112 calmly in an emergency, and in wartime or disasters drop, take cover and never touch unknown objects.
• Puberty and Adolescence: How Your Body and Mind Grow Up – Adolescence is the time between childhood and adulthood, roughly ages 10 to 19. Puberty is the part of it when the body becomes able to reproduce. It is started by hormones: a signal from the pituitary gland in the brain tells the ovaries or testes to make sex hormones (oestrogen and testosterone). Changes include a growth spurt, new body hair, sweat and spots, breasts and periods in girls, a deeper voice and facial hair in boys, and stronger feelings. Everyone starts at a different time, and all of it is normal.

3. Religious education (locally agreed syllabus)

RE in a locally agreed syllabus

Coming soon