RSHE Plays a Crucial Role in Protecting Learners with SEND from Bullying

The statutory guidance states that children with SEND have the same right to RSHE as their peers and recognises that the RSHE curriculum may need adaptation to meet individual needs, and should be taught in an accessible, developmentally appropriate way. It reminds schools to be aware that some pupils are more vulnerable to exploitation, bullying and other issues due to the nature of their SEND. Anti Bullying Alliance research shows that 36% of pupils with SEND experience frequent bullying compared to 25% of those without SEND. In 2023, there were 7,432 referrals of potentially exploited children to the National Referral Mechanism, with 51% referrals involving criminal exploitation (3,827) and 15% involving sexual exploitation (1,119), with anecdotal evidence suggesting a high proportion of cases involved children with SEND.

One of the key reasons the subject was made statutory in schools was to put in place the building blocks needed for positive and safe relationships of all kinds. RSHE promotes self-awareness and self-esteem, it teaches pupils to recognise and value their own worth, as well as recognising the importance of those who are different from themselves. These are crucial life skills for everyone and helps establish the preventative education needed to help a child avoid being bullied, harassed or exploited or indeed be the one the who is carrying out the bullying, harassment or aggressive behaviours. The child who grows up in a home environment where difference isn’t tolerated is enabled by their education to value difference and not see it as a reason to tease or bully someone, including those with a different cognitive or physical ability to them. It also encourages self-advocacy skills, empowering children to speak up when they are being treated unfairly or unkindly, knowing that they deserve to be treated with respect.

RSHE supports the learning of emotional regulation for SEND pupils through skills-based learning, through play and practical techniques. Beginning from the moment children enter school, supporting their learning behaviours, the characteristics of effective learning and ability to self-regulate are central strands of the Early Years and Foundation Stage framework. This approach promotes hands-on activities to support children identifying emotions, recognising triggers, develop secure and meaningful relationships, and practice coping strategies. Through continuous provision enhancements, including role-play scenarios, children learn to apply new skills in a safe, structured, inspiring and enabling environment, helping them build muscle memory for these skills, making them more accessible during challenging, real-life situations. This practical, experiential learning helps SEND pupils to develop a personalised toolkit for emotional regulation, enhancing their resilience against bullying or aggressive behaviours and improving their overall emotional wellbeing.

Through Coram Life Education & SCARF Relationships Education workshops our educators walk pupils through different scenarios. Working in small groups, pupils discuss how they would feel and what they would do if they felt a peer was acting in a way that wasn’t kind and respectful. This helps them to recognise that their body is very effective at helping them work out whether something is OK or not. Often, we can want to respond quickly and physically when someone oversteps boundaries; children are helped to develop appropriate, balanced and measured responses by learning the habit of pausing and thinking about what the best response would be. This helps reduce the risk of getting into trouble, whilst also learning some helpful techniques to ensure their boundaries are being respected, and that they, too, are respecting others.

Relationships Education in early years helps all children to learn how to build healthy relationships and understand their rights over their bodies. For SEND pupils this is crucial, and skilled Early Years educators will differentiate where necessary to meet diverse needs and maximise learning potential. Personal space and understanding boundaries are an important but ambiguous concept to grasp for many SEND pupils. Whilst it may be intrinsic to many children, SEND pupils may not have the inbuilt ability to define those boundaries. Thoughtful planning, modelling and teaching can support this learning. Given the 'free flow' nature of Early Years environments, there are many opportunities for exploring and practicing this concept.

In our classroom, we may notice a child that rushes to be first in everything, causing problems with other children, sometimes resulting in accidents with other children. To address this, we can implement a system to teach turn-taking, respect for others, and understanding of personal space, such as introducing coloured floor spots to define standing spaces, then creating a chart with colours allocated to children, before rotating the colour assigned to each child weekly, and changing the spot order daily. Once this new way of doing things has been established, the spots can be removed as the child learns to self-regulate. This can be supported with the use of social stories with photos and role-play to reinforce these concepts. Social stories can present key information in a literal way, which can enhance the understanding of an ambiguous situation, can help with sequencing and encourage empathy. All of which lead to more positive, caring and supportive relationships.

In Relationships Education, children learn what healthy friendships and relationships look like, so they can identify unhealthy or abusive relationship patterns and develop positive peer connections, both online and offline. It is essential that they learn about online harms, including harmful content, contact and conduct, and how to engage with others safely online, to reduce the risk of being bullied or exploited. Young people with SEND often face unique challenges in navigating online interactions and relationships. They may be more susceptible to deception and exploitation due to a possible tendency to be more trusting and literal in their interpretation of information. This vulnerability can lead them to believe false narratives from both friends and strangers, potentially resulting in risky behaviours such as sharing explicit photos under the misguided belief of being in a loving relationship. Their challenges with critical thinking skills and risk assessment may hinder their ability to foresee the potential consequences of their actions online. In addition, these children might struggle to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, both in terms of their own actions and those of others they encounter in digital spaces.

Teaching personal boundaries and consent is crucial for pupils' wellbeing and healthy relationships. By learning to respect others' boundaries, pupils develop empathy and social skills. For instance, asking before hugging a classmate teaches consent in everyday interactions. Equally important is empowering pupils to assert their own limits, like saying "I need some space" when feeling crowded. Lessons can explore consent beyond physical touch, such as borrowing items or sharing personal information online. Role-playing scenarios where pupils practice saying "no" to unwanted situations - like declining to share their lunch or refusing to keep a friend's secret that makes them uncomfortable - builds confidence in setting boundaries. These skills help create a safer environment, reducing risks of harassment or abuse. By integrating boundary and consent education into the curriculum, schools equip pupils with essential life skills for navigating relationships respectfully.

Effective RSHE programmes teach pupils valuable skills for navigating challenging social situations. Pupils learn to express their feelings and needs assertively, using "I statements" like "I feel hurt when you say that." Lessons can help pupils understand anti-bullying school policies, showing them how to report incidents through designated channels such as anonymous question boxes or trusted teachers. To reduce stigma, schools can host assemblies where older pupils share positive experiences of seeking help. Bystander intervention is emphasised, with pupils practicing scenarios like distracting a bully by changing the subject or privately checking in with the target later. Role-playing exercises help pupils rehearse phrases like "That's not cool" or "Let's go sit somewhere else" to safely intervene. The curriculum also covers digital citizenship, helping children report online harassment. By creating a community where looking out for one another is the norm, these programmes create a more supportive school environment.

Many teachers, including those with pupils with SEND in secondary education, access our RSE training because it provides practical ways in which children are supported to develop healthy relationships. This supports them to deliver our PSHE programme, ‘SCARF’, that ensures they are teaching all the statutory RSHE requirements. By following the six suggested half-termly units, the school is confident that the pupils are getting the same information at the same time, maximising its impact. Nicola Fenney, PSHE Lead of Lansbury Bridge, a large Special School in St Helens, Merseyside, shared with us that by using SCARF to teach about healthy relationships and identifying bullying behaviours, they have seen a marked decrease in name calling and coercive friendships, as well as more cohesion and less competitiveness amongst the pupils, which has been transformative for the behaviour in the school. Nicola told us, “Although I wouldn't necessarily say we’ve had huge issues around bullying, I don't think our children would have identified what bullying was, whereas now they can identify it, and it’s reduced. And because it’s reduced it means the Learning Mentors can focus on other things now, such as bereavement.”

Should any issues be identified in the playground, teachers are quickly able to identify lessons on SCARF, using our Subjects and Issues tool, to help them find lessons that will enhance learning. This reinforces the need for repetition in getting the key messages across to learners with SEND. If the behaviour persists, then the learning mentors will carry out small group or 1:1 sessions, again using SCARF resources. In doing so, the school can be confident a consistent approach and repeating of key messages is taking place, rather than a new intervention being used, which could fragment impact and effectiveness.

The approach above supports metacognitive development; helping children to examine how they handled or responded to something, and how they might do something better next time the same situation comes up. Repeating learning experiences enables children to anticipate and adapt their actions from their prior experience. It involves children recalling significant aspects or details of the event or experience. For some children, reflecting on the specific experience will work and, for others, using a more depersonalised approach will work better, such as social stories or scenarios, which they can use to draw parallels with their lived experience, in a safe way. This approach works well with learners with Autism, and Nicola told us “They do actually stop and think; that was us at dinnertime, now it’s here on the board, and then they will talk about it, because it’s completely not them, you’ve taken all their personal issues out of it and they will make the links in their own way”.

Here are some further ideas that can make the learning accessible

When teaching about different types of bullying:

Create a mind map or infographic showing various forms of bullying (physical, verbal, cyber, etc.).

Play audio clips of scenarios depicting different bullying situations.

Have pupils act out appropriate responses to bullying in small groups.

When teaching about online bullying:

Create a social story about a pupil who experiences cyberbullying and the steps they take to address it.

Set up a role-play scenario where pupils practice supporting a friend who's being bullied online.

When teaching about healthy relationships and boundaries:

Break it down into smaller topics (respect, consent, communication, etc.).

Revisit these concepts regularly throughout the year in different contexts.

Use spaced repetition techniques, such as weekly journal prompts or discussion circles, to reinforce key ideas.

When setting up a classroom that promotes anti-bullying:

Create a "Kindness Corner" with resources on conflict resolution and empathy.

Display clear, visually appealing anti-bullying rules and consequences Implement an anonymous reporting system for bullying incidents e.g. an anonymous questions/comments box.

Use timers for group activities to ensure equal participation and prevent exclusion.

RSHE plays a vital role in schools, especially for pupils with SEND. RSHE aims to prevent bullying, boost self-esteem, and protect vulnerable children from exploitation. An effective curriculum covers healthy relationships, consent, boundary-setting, and online safety, using adaptive teaching methods for SEND pupils to create a safer, more supportive school environment for all pupils.