FREE teaching resource offer for primary schools

A teaching resource which provides complete coverage of the new RHE curriculum is being offered to UK primary schools for free, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From now through to the 31 October 2021, Discovery Education, a global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for primary and secondary classrooms, is providing free access to ‘Health and Relationships’, a digital teaching resource which helps teachers to plan, deliver and evidence the new DfE objectives.

Suitable for children in years 1 to 6, the programme will enable teachers to show that they are meeting the new DfE objectives and deliver lessons with confidence. The resources can be accessed in the classroom and at home, helping schools to support learning wherever it is taking place.

From April 2021 UK primary schools must deliver new teaching of relationships education, physical health and mental wellbeing. But, in a challenging year, many teachers have had little time to prepare. Discovery Education is responding to this by providing schools with open access to its complete RHE digital teaching resource and learning solution.

Commenting on the offer, Howard Lewis, UK managing director of Discovery Education UK, said: “We know that this is a difficult time for schools and that teachers might not be ready for the RHE curriculum changes.

“That’s why we’re providing free access to our popular Health and Relationships programme, which includes fully-resourced lessons and teacher support. We’re proud to help UK primary schools by opening up this exciting scheme of work.”

Sam Winton, deputy headteacher at St Margaret’s CE Primary School in Crawley, is already using Discovery Education Health and Relationships and said: “Discovery Education Health and Relationships is our go-to resource for RHE.

“When we first reviewed the statutory guidance, we realised that it covered a lot of new ground. We wanted a complete scheme of work that teachers could pick up and run with. Health and Relationships has saved us huge amounts of time and is brilliant to teach. The resources and support have given us confidence to approach challenging topics and our pupils are very engaged.”

Devised by subject experts, Health and Relationships’ resources are engaging and age-appropriate. Child-led scenario-based videos feature children talking about key topics while role play activities help pupils explore scenarios and develop skills to confidently deal with issues that affect their lives today and as they grow.

Discovery Education Health and Relationships covers 6 key topic areas: Healthy and Happy Friendships, Similarities and Differences, Caring and Responsibility, Families and Committed Relationships, Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds and Coping with Change. Designed as a spiral curriculum, the programme enables pupils to revisit each topic as they progress through primary school, building upon their skills and understanding.

Many of the topics covered e.g. feelings of loneliness, isolation and loss and coping with change, have special relevance to the current pandemic and the challenges children face. The programme’s digital content means that teachers can easily pick up activities for children to complete at home to help them cope with the uncertainty of the situation and share positive thoughts and ideas with classmates.

Support for teachers includes end-to-end curriculum planning, detailed guidance and help with parental communication. The programme also sets out a series of best practice principles to help schools create a safe learning environment for teaching about healthy relationships.

The programme’s series editor is Lucy Marcovitch, a PSHE subject expert and former National Curriculum advisor. Lucy said: “The challenges of COVID-19 mean that many schools simply haven’t had time to get ready to teach a subject which needs to be planned very carefully and delivered safely. Discovery Education Health and Relationships takes care of this. Teachers can feel reassured that they are fully prepared while children can benefit from high-quality, inclusive resources to help them lead healthy and fulfilling lives.”

To register for free access, primary schools should visit: www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/rse. Free access will be provided until 31 October 2021. Schools that do not wish to continue after this time should notify Discovery Education by 30 September 2021.