How to Deliver RSE (Online course)

As an RSE lead, you’ll learn everything from how to plan your school’s spiral curriculum to how to engage teachers across the school.

If you deliver RSE lessons, this course will help you to deliver comprehensive, effective lessons, safeguard young people and reflect on your own personal values as an educator.

Join over 30,000 people who have signed up to Brook Learn to deliver great RSE.

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Course overview

How to deliver RSE is split into six modules:

1: Introduction and evidence

You will understand the importance of evidence-based practice, be familiar with the guidance and requirements in your region, and possess the tools to develop a robust RSE policy. The module covers practical strategies to prepare and deliver engaging RSE lessons in a whole school approach to support positive relationships and sexual health education.

2: Spiral curriculum

The recommended way to teach RSE is through regular, dedicated lessons, using a spiral curriculum approach. This means teaching topics that are timely, relevant and age appropriate, whilst building on their knowledge year on year. There are three examples of a spiral curriculum in action on different topics. The module talks about adolescence and the significant cognitive and emotional development which affects a young person’s understanding of RSE topics.

3: Delivering great RSE

To deliver great RSE, you must be fully prepared for the lesson you are delivering, ensuring you have reliable, up-to-date information and quality resources for the topic – this might therefore require some personal development to check your knowledge, confidence and skills are where you need them to be. This module covers:

How to structure a lesson
Reflecting on your personal and professional knowledge and values
Answering difficult questions
Identifying safeguarding concerns
Providing LGBT+ representation and how to embed this into your lessons
Achieving a truly inclusive environment at school

4: Religion and faith

The intersection of faith and RSE can throw up some tricky issues. Many religious beliefs about relationships and sex can feel at odds with best practice and equalities legislation, and therefore needs careful navigation. We’ll take a look at the mandatory guidance as well as the lived experience of young people of faith.

5: Parents and carers

Ideally, discussion of relationships and sex will happen at home alongside school-based RSE. This module covers how you can help by letting parents know what resources and techniques parents and carers can use at home to supplement RSE and discuss their own values and expectations around relationships.

6: Disabled and/or neurodivergent young people

Recognising some of the barriers to learning that young people may experience in RSE is key to help them overcome them. The module covers different scenarios to encourage you to think of different teaching strategies with suitably adapted lesson plans.