How RSE Is Covered in the Jigsaw RSHE Curriculum

Jigsaw embeds Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) into a whole‑school, spiral PSHE curriculum from ages 3–16. RSE is not taught as a standalone subject; instead, it is integrated through themed units (“Puzzles”), with age‑appropriate progression each year.

Below is a breakdown of how Jigsaw covers RSE.

Primary schools use six core units taught yearly:

• Being Me in My World
• Celebrating Difference
• Dreams and Goals
• Healthy Me
• Relationships
• Changing Me

RSE is mainly delivered through Relationships and Changing Me, which take place in the Summer term, but themes also appear across the whole programme.

This structure ensures a progressive, spiral curriculum that builds emotional literacy, social skills, and understanding of healthy relationships year‑on‑year.

Fully Mapped to Statutory Relationships & Health Education

Jigsaw 3–11 provides a mapping document showing exactly how its lessons fulfil the statutory RSE requirements. It includes content such as:

• Families and caring relationships
• Friendship characteristics
• Respect for differences
• Understanding unsafe relationships
• Body changes and growing up

Sex Education in Primary

Sex education remains optional in primary (under 2025 RSHE guidance), but Jigsaw provides flexible content, enabling us to teach topics such as:

• Changing bodies
• Puberty
• Reproduction

Jigsaw reassures schools that its materials are age‑appropriate and fully compliant. 

Whole‑School Approach and Values

Across all phases, Jigsaw emphasises:

• Emotional and social development
• Safeguarding and online safety
• British Values
• Respect for protected characteristics
• Building a positive, inclusive ethos

In Summary, RSE in the Jigsaw RSHE curriculum is:

• Fully integrated into a structured, whole‑school PSHE programme
• Mapped to all statutory RSE requirements
• Delivered mainly through Relationships and Changing Me Puzzles
• Designed to be age‑appropriate, inclusive and evidence‑based
• Supported by extensive resources, videos, and CPD

Jigsaw ensures pupils learn about:

• Healthy, respectful relationships
• Body changes and personal boundaries
• Consent and safety (including online)
• Equality and respect for diversity
• Emotional wellbeing and identity

In line with guidance published by the DfE, which is statutory from September 2026, Jigsaw have:

• Removed sex education content from Ages 8-9 (Year 4) – sex education now begins in Year 5. Pupils who were previously taught sex education in Yr5 will still find progression in the new Year 5 content.

• Updated puberty content from Year 3 onwards to contain less content that may be considered sex education

• Created clearer separation between statutory content and non-statutory sex education, supporting schools with parent communication and withdrawal requests, as follows.

Should you wish to make a withdrawal, please request this via your child's class teacher or Mr Weaver.  Your request will be logged on CPOMS (a system that allows us to record, share and track concerns and incidents) where a decision will be made and you will be notified accordingly.  We will only refuse withdrawals (or discuss these with you further) when the lessons fall outside of those considered 'sex education', such as relationships or health and wellbeing lessons.