At Dean Gibson, we follow the Life to the Full programme as published by Ten:Ten Resources. This is an ambitious, evolving programme of work that offers a fully-integrated and holistic programme in Relationship Education that truly enables children to ‘live life to the full’ (John 10:10).

The programme adopts a spiral curriculum approach so that as a child goes through the programme year-after-year, the learning will develop and grow, with each stage building on the last.

Early Years Foundation Stage: Children will expand their vocabulary by applying names to different family/friend relationships, consider positive/negative behaviour in relationships and learn to look to Jesus as their role model for a good friend. They will learn to resolve conflict and the importance of asking for forgiveness when necessary.

Key Stage 1: Children are taught to identify the Special People in their lives who they love and can trust, how to cope with various social situations and dilemmas, and the importance of saying sorry and forgiveness within relationships. We also explore the risks of being online by incorporating the ‘Smartie the Penguin’ resources from Childnet, the difference between good and bad secrets, and teaching on physical boundaries (incorporating the PANTS resource the NSPCC). Children also learn about the effects of harmful substances (including alcohol and tobacco), some basic First Aid and what makes a 999 emergency and what they should do if in an emergency situation.

Lower Key Stage 2: The sessions here help children to develop a more complex appreciation of different family structures and there are activities and strategies to help them develop healthy relationships with family and friends; here, they are also taught simplified CBT techniques for managing thoughts, feelings and actions. We have also incorporated some excellent NSPCC resources, as well as teaching on bullying and abuse through a series of animated stories. Children will also learn in greater depth about the effects of drugs, alcohol and tobacco and how to make good choices concerning these as they get older.

Upper Key Stage 2: The sessions aim to equip children with strategies for more complex experiences of relationships and conflict; this includes sessions that help children to identify and understand how to respond to spoken and unspoken pressure, the concept of consent and some practical demonstrations of this, and further teaching on how our thoughts and feelings have an impact on how we act. The programme also explores the risks of sharing and chatting online at a level more appropriate to Years 5 and 6, and a more complex understanding of different forms of abuse. Finally, the children will explore their relationship with the wider world. Here we explore how human beings are relational by nature and are called to love others in the wider community through service, through dialogue and through working for the Common Good.