This report presents the results of the recent evaluations of the Dunblane Cluster’s Sexual Health and
Relationship Project. The report evaluates the progress of this project the focus of which was to establish a professional learning community with shared responsibility for the creation of a cluster Sexual Health and
Relationship framework that actively develops children’s knowledge and understanding of rights, respect and responsibility.
Over this last eighteen months the main project for the Dunblane Children’s Community Partnership was to create a Sexual Health and Relationship Programme that reflected the needs of our community and was supported by all community members. As a result this project formed a key action point in all of the schools’ improvement plans. An evaluation of this project was completed in June with the analysis taking account of the following purposes and their resultant success criteria:-
Educational Purpose:- To establish a cluster health and relationship framework that actively develops
children’s knowledge and understanding of rights, respect and responsibility
1. The creation of a whole school policy and programme supporting the aims and ethos of SRE
Organisational Purpose:-To develop a Professional Learning Community ensuring shared responsibility within a climate of genuine collegiality
1. To increase the involvement and personal responsibility of all stakeholder partners to ensure the project’s success
2. To strengthen the lines and opportunities for communication in order to build and support the school’s capacity and capability for change
3. To motivate and engage more staff through the initiation and implementation process increasing the speed of change and positive impact on children’s learning
4. To foster a greater sense of shared leadership to ensure support and efficient implementation
Personal Purpose :- Non analysed through this evaluation report, but documented in the claims for competence

This report involves:-
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Reviewing the work of the steering and working groups
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Identifying areas of good practice within this model of cluster working
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Identifying further professional development needs
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Examining the impact of the programme on learning and teaching
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Collating the thoughts, opinions and impact of the Health for Life Project from the pupils, parents and staff
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Determining the next steps of the project
The evaluation had a number of different approaches including:-
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Discussion at staff and departmental meetings
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Informal feedback from staff C.P.D.and in-service sessions
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Pupil and parental pre-project questionnaires
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Informal evaluation of parental open evening
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Pupil and parent/carer post-project evaluations
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Evaluation questionnaires conducted with Steering groups
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Evaluation and feedback from cluster sharing sessions
The Key Findings
The key findings of the evaluation were:-
Inititation Phase
Educational Purpose
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Children disliked the present S.R.E programme that was in place, commenting on their feelings of embarrassment as well as feeling scared and frightened. Many disliked certain sections of the old resources
Organisational Purpose
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At the outset of the project parents felt uninformed about the S.R.E programme that all schools had in place and were unaware of any support strategies and systems that schools operate. This highlighted the need for improved communication
Implementation Phase
Educational Purpose
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A structured, progressive S.R.E programme has been created and strengthened by the addition of new resources
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There is still concern that one of the key video resources appears a little dated however, it is the best that is on the market at present. The books that have been bought do go some way to compensate for the dated video resource
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At present the majority of staff appear confident about delivering the relevant part of the programme of study. Hopefully it will remain this way
Organisational Purpose
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The open evening was well received with parents and carers delighted to be involved in discussion. A model that all stakeholders would be happy to see replicated

Evaluation Phase
Educational Purpose
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We have programme that is workable, sustainable yet flexible enough that our professional team of teachers will mould it and use it to reflect their teaching strengths
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The majority of the staff feel they have increased confidence when delivering SRE education and will feel less apprehensive about future delivery
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The majority of staff made effective use of the resources available to them resulting in positive teaching and learning experiences, however there were some staff, who on reflection, may vary the resources and the order in which they deliver the programme the next time
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Pupils in the lower stages were interested and eager to learn about the topic, all felt happy doing Health for Life Lessons
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Feedback from the upper stages were mixed with more children expressing feelings of embarrassment. It was pleasing to note that the upper school children preferred the new
BBC resource and appreciated the change to single sex sessions
Organisational Purpose
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Strengths in the project included staff commitment and clear vision of what had to be achieved accompanied by the effective partnership working between schools and external agencies like FVHS
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The model of working, involving cluster steering and working groups, was viewed positively by all members, “who only saw positives in working this way.”
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The teams were well organised and very committed with motivation throughout the project remaining high
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Parental feedback was that all of the information provided was very useful and that they were pleased with the programme design and the professional manner in which it is delivered
Next Steps
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Development of the programme into S1 and S2
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Regular review meetings with staff to gain feedback and to continue to provide support to staff that feel less confident
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Annual feedback from pupils and parents to monitor changes in feelings and attitudes towards S.R.E lessons in the Primary School
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Information from ongoing reviews and feedback will inform changes and updates that need to be made to the programme

Purposes and Success Criteria
Purpose Phase
Organisational
Organisational
Educational
Educational
Educational
Educational
Initiation Phase
To establish a multi disciplinary steering group to oversee the development of a Cluster S.R.E. programme of study
Initiation
Health board, churches, parents and school staff represented on steering group with regular meetings held
To create infant, middle and upper school S.R.E. working groups to form part of the
S.R.E. review team
Working groups established and productive meetings held regularly
To audit current practice and opinion of S.R.E. programme within the cluster
To establish and agree principles, vision and aims of new S.R.E. programme with all school staff
Identify staff development needs
Draft programme of study established
Success Criteria
Comments and feedback received from all members of the learning community
Opportunities created and staff views and opinions shared and discussed
Development needs articulated or identified
Draft programme of study created ready for consultation
Description of
Evaluation
6 meetings held with minutes and agendas provided. Evaluation report compiled from steering group feedback
Each group held 4 meetings with informal staff discussions providing a report on the productivity of the meetings
H.G.I.O.S two issues document used to create parent and pupil questionnaires
In addition to staff discussion questionnaires were completed by staff and feedback on their thought and feelings was given on “post’it” notes
Observation and collation of feedback from C.P.D sessions
Staff in-service to review draft programme. Oral feedback and discussion
Purposes
Educational
Educational
Implementation phase
Resource new programme of study
Phase
Provide appropriate staff development to support confident delivery of the
S.R.E programme
Success Criteria
Funding identified and resources purchased for all cluster schools
All staff feel more confident in the delivery of S.R.E programme
Description of
Evaluation
D.C.C.P funding provided and resources purchased
Staff set expectations for
C.P.D session and this formed basis of the inservice evaluation and

Organisational To launch new S.R.E programme to parents through cluster open evening
Parents/ carers aware of cluster approach to S.R.E programme and understand vision and aims of the programme success. Staff placed an arrow in the target to demonstrate where their confidence now lay (all hit bullseye)
Observation and discussion also allowed feedback to be gleaned
Post ‘ it note feedback collated
Observation and discussion
Purposes
Educational
Educational
Educational
Organisational
Phase Success Criteria
Evaluation phase
Ensure confident delivery of new S.R.E programme of study to all stages in all cluster schools
Staff confidently deliver new programme of study and identify next steps
Evaluate learning and teaching of new programme of study among, staff, pupils and parents/carers ensuring that S.R.E is fully embedded within class health education programme
Encourage staff to critically reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the S.R.E. programme and their method of delivery
Critically reflect on the partnership working model and highlight areas for improvement and examples of good practice
Staff, pupils and parents express more positive attitudes towards S.R.E lessons
Staff reflect on lessons and identify development points including strengths and weaknesses of the programme
Good practice and next steps identified
Description of
Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluating by S.M.T
Discussion at departmental meetings
Staff, pupil and parent evaluation and feedback
Sharing session discussions and feedback
Sharing session discussion and feedback
Steering group evaluations

Evaluation Summary
Educational Purpose
1. To establish a cluster health and relationship framework that actively develops children’s knowledge and understanding of rights, respect and responsibility
This aim was met through a. The establishment of working and steering groups, b. Initial audit of SRE education by parents/carers/pupils c. Staff CPD and in-service sessions d. Creation of a comprehensive programme of study e. Feedback from the children who commented positively on their learning experiences
Organisational Purpose
1.To increase the involvement and personal responsibility of all stakeholder partners to ensure the project’s success
This aim was achieved through a. Stakeholder involvement in working groups and steering groups b. Stakeholder consultation and evaluation c. Stakeholder feedback d. Staff C.P.D and in-service sessions e. Open evening f. Open Afternoon g. Cluster Sharing Session
2. To strengthen the lines and opportunities for communication in order to build and support the school’s capacity and capability for change
This aim was achieved through a. Improved consultation and communication channels, including the SRE leaflet, b. Parental audit and evaluations c. Parental open evening d. Parental open afternoon
3. To motivate and engage more staff through the initiation and implementation process increasing the speed of change and positive impact on children’s learning
This aim was achieved through a. Structure of steering and working groups b. Collaborative working practices during CPD and in-service sessions in addition to providing collaborative planning time c. Constant communication with staff on the aims and purposes of the SRE programme
4. To foster a greater sense of shared leadership to ensure support and efficient implementation

a. Staff development cascade model employing distributed leadership during staff in-service sessions and parental open evening b. Collaborative planning sessions
1.Establishing a multi disciplinary steering group to oversee the development of a Cluster S.R.E
programme of study
The creation of a multidisciplinary working group was highly effective in realising the project’s aims and purposes. Pulling the knowledge, skills and talents of a range of professionals strengthened the belief and credibility of the project. Looking at the feedback and the final evaluations completed by the steering group it is clear that working in a cluster team was one of the project’s key strengths. The dynamics of the steering group allowed effective group work, with each members contributing to the team’s successes. While people felt the project did require considerable commitment every meeting ran well and positive progress was made.
What made this all the more worthwhile is that we had the benefit of various schools’ experiences to draw on and learn from as we developed this project. The collective learning that occurred during this project was a key strength to the project’s success. As a result the group would most definitely consider tackling another cluster project using a similar structure of a steering group as they can see many positives in working this way.
The selection of members onto the steering group was made easily as this project was initiated through the
Dunblane Children’s Partnership and had this group’s full commitment. On this group we already had a committed team and a network of people from each of the cluster schools, Forth Valley Health Board, the medical centre and the churches who were happy to channel their energies and make the Health for Life project their focus for the year 2007-2008. So the Health for Life Steering group merely became one of the
DCCP projects with financial and human resources allocated to it. As the success of this partnership and multidisciplinary team grew it was pleasing that staff from the local High School and Youth Centre were keen to join the steering group and be part of the project. Their input was much appreciated and added to the valuable partnerships that we were creating.
Each school was represented on the Steering group and it became the responsibility of these representatives to disseminate the information back to their schools and to oversee the development of the cluster programme within their school. This was done effectively and efficiently by all members as shown by the collective understanding of the aims and purposes surrounding this project and by delivering this programme of study, at the same time, in all cluster schools.
2.Creating an infant, middle and upper school S.R.E working groups to form part of the S.R.E review team.
The first professional development activity that was undertaken as part of this project involved representatives from each of the primary schools, secondary schools, health centres and youth centres, attending a two day training session on creating a whole School Sexual Health and Relationship Education Programme, this was delivered by a Health Promotion Officer who was part of the Forth Valley Sexual Health Team. Staff were carefully selected from each of these organisations; taking account individual staff needs, with the foresight

that these members would hopefully form the inter school stage working groups. Following the training these individuals volunteered to form stage working groups, as they too, felt that this would be the best way to create a cluster SRE programme.
The role of these individuals was to review the existing programme of study and various others.R.E models from other authorities and pull together an appropriate programme for their stage within the school. These groups met individually on three or four occasions. The feedback from these meeting was kept very informal through discussions in the staff room, which was sufficient enough to ensure that each group was progressing well and working effectively together. The Primary 4-5 working group encountered the greatest challenges due to additional work pressures that these working group members had as well as the fact that this group, based on feedback from staff members and the training day, had the task of writing their own programme as previous SRE models did not fulfil the need of the cluster. This obviously created a greater workload and more time was required before this group’s programme reached completion. The staff involved in these groups appeared to enjoy working together, but again the time commitment was commented upon. They took pleasure in having the opportunity to work with colleagues in other teaching establishment and having the opportunity to share practice. Producing the programmes of study on time, that also fulfilled the expectations of all staff, was evidence of the effective and collaborative working practices of these groups.
3.Auditing current practice and opinion of S.R.E programme within the cluster
The steering group over saw the audit of existing SRE practice within the schools. This took three forms and helped fulfil the aim of increasing the involvement and personal responsibility of all stakeholder partners to ensure the project’s success.
A. A Parental Audit
Using the HGIOS Two Issues document performance indicators that were directly concerned with SRE were extracted and pulled together to form an evaluation document using a six point response scale. This audit was given out to 10% of the parental population in the case of Newton and Dunblane Primary School and to all parents in the case of St Mary’s Primary. The response rate for these questionnaires was disappointing with only 20% of parents responding. Never the less a clear picture was established that identified that parents felt uninformed about the S.R.E programme that all schools had in place and were unaware of any support strategies and systems that schools operated. This highlighted the need for improved communication.
This audit also provided the opportunity for the steering group to receive feedback on how parents would best like future information in relation to SRE shared with them. From the responses received it became apparent that workshops and a discussion forum would be the most popular methods of communicating. By responding to these requests it would hopefully allow these stakeholders to recognise that their views and opinions were being listened to and valued. I feel this in turn impacted positively on the relationships with these stakeholders.
B. A Pupil Council Audit
The audit of pupils opinions on SRE was conducted also using the same HGIOS two issues document, however the questions were altered into more child friendly language with the children responding using the six point scale.

This audit was given to all members of the Pupil Council with the pupil’s results showing that the schools needed to improve on providing the children with opportunities to share how they feel about health issues and challenge them to think about how they felt about certain aspect of health. In addition it was noted that the children also wanted more opportunities to share worries or concerns about health issues.
C.Primary 7 Pupil Questionnaire
It was the case in all of the Primary schools that up until 2007 S.R.E. education had only taken place in
Primary 6 and Primary 7. As a result of this we choose to ask the Primary Seven children what they thought of the Sexual Health lessons they had received so far and how they thought these could be improved.
The most marked response was the fact that 58% of the children felt embarrassed during S.R.E. lessons however there was a small proportion, 4%, that felt scared. Interestingly 46% of the children learnt the facts about sexual health from friends. In addition half of the children noted that an improvement to the S.R.E. lessons would be to have them delivered separately with a class of just girls and boys . All of this feedback informed how the new S.R.E. programme looks and the elements that were important to this stakeholder group. Having the children involved in making improvements to their learning was of great importance to this project and I believe, in time, will impact positively on their learning experiences as they know that they have been consulted about how they like to learn and this has been acted upon.
In conducting this cluster audit the individual school statistics were kept separate as each school’s context was slightly different and what I have reported here was the information that was consistent across all the schools and therefore informed the cluster programme. The other factors that were pertinent to individual school were addressed once the programme was written with each school made minor alterations as they saw fit.
4.Establishing and agreeing principles, vision and aims of new S.R.E programme with all school staff and Identify staff development needs
While the initial SRE course provided a launch pad for members of the steering and working groups it was crucial to the success of this project that all staff members were aware of and agreed with the principles, vision and aims of the SRE programme. This was done with all school staff was during a C.P.D session. It involved staff thinking back to their own experience of SRE education and what could have been done to make this experience a better one. A relaxed and friendly ethos was established for this sessions and I was pleased to witness a “buzz” in the staff room, with colleagues happy to laugh, joke and share their good and bad experiences of SRE education. This range of experiences in their own learning about SRE prompted staff to recognise the value of a partnership to this curricular area ensuring that the children received consistent messages throughout the cluster schools.
The purpose of this session was well and truly achieved with staff, through the use of post’it notes, happy to brain storm what they felt the teaching of SRE was about and what would make the teaching of SRE a better experience for our children. This was a constructive activity highlighting potential tensions and difficulties with teaching this subject area and it prompted staff to discuss solutions and ways of achieving the aims and purposes that they has all agreedIt was agreed that SRE would involve children learning about:-
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Their rights
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How they should respect themselves, other’s and their bodies

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Their personal responsibilities with regard to keeping themselves safe and healthy
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The facts and clarify any misconceptions
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Their emotional development as well as the physical one
All of this would be taught within a safe, supportive and trusting environment
This collation was very reassuring and dovetailed with the local and national guidance provided to help support the teaching and learning of SRE. I was delighted when following the session staff chose to comment on the delivery of the session and how they felt it was pitched in a manner that was relevant to them. “That was a good in service Heather, clear and to the point” T.R. The ethos established during this in-service was very important, and I was keen to have this established throughout all future sessions. The relaxed, participative atmosphere was crucial to building a more collegiate work ethic. I felt this session marked the beginning of giving staff greater ownership and involvement in the SRE programme and project, helping to move towards fulfilling another aim of motivating and engaging more staff through the initiation and implementation process. I was very grateful to one member of staff who had been on the initial SRE training programme who was able to kindly inform staff that she had been very nervous and apprehensive about being involved in this project, however she was able to reassure them that her concerns had been alleviated through staff training and this would hopefully be the case for her colleagues. This staff member showed great initiative and tapped into some of the emotional and developmental needs of other staff members. Staff were given the option following the discussion and post’it session to complete a pro-forma that would identify any concerns they had about teaching SRE education and to detail what CPD they felt would be most beneficial in helping them to build their confidence and skills.
The key areas that staff wished development in were
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Further opportunities to discuss the programme of study and to be involved in the consultation so that they could appreciate the bigger picture
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Time given to familiarise themselves with the resources in order to build their confidence in SRE
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The chance to observe a colleague or “expert” delivering SRE to pupils that were at the same stage as their class were.
Following this session some staff chose to come and engage in further discussion sharing their views and opinions on SRE education. This was incredibly important and allowed me to informally gauge where future challenges may be encountered and what further staff development may be required. All of this feedback points to the progress being made towards developing a more collegiate and collaborative approach to developing learning and teaching.
5.Establishing a draft programme of study
The draft programme of study was completed by November 2007 due to the hard work and dedication of all the working group and steering group members. During the November in-service staff were given the opportunity, in stage groups to view the programme of study and look at some of the initial resources. The use of stage groups was key in building a more collaborative and collegiate approach to staff working and helped to increase the involvement and personal responsibility of all partners in ensuring the project’s success, another key aim of the project. Staff commented that they enjoyed working in this manner and the
“buzz” from each of the classrooms where the staff were working on the programme was very encouraging.

The positives in working in this collaborative manner were starting to be appreciated by many members of the staff team with people commenting on how they developed their teaching ideas and benefited from discussing how to plan and deliver an SRE lesson. In their stage groups staff were asked to reflect on the programme of study and were directed by the following questions:-
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Do the teaching plans provided clear and concise specifications of what the pupils are expected to learn and how?
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Are the outcomes clearly stated?
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How could the programme be improve?
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with staff pleased to have such clear guidance on what was to be taught. They felt the progression of the programme was good and clear and would impact positively on the children’s experiences of SRE. The resources that had been purchased to date were met with great approval and staff happily shared their views and opinions on how they felt these resources should be best managed.
There was still considerable concern from staff over how they would handle pupil questions and the language they would or would not be allowed to use. This feedback provided the focus of the next staff C.P.D session.
Again the ethos and atmosphere surrounding this session was very positive with staff relishing the opportunity to be involved in the programme at a stage where any concerns or views given could still be taken on board and programme changes made. More importantly they were pleased to witness that their initial thoughts, and views had been incorporated into the programme that was produced.
6. Resourcing a new programme of study
Resourcing the programme of study was done through a grant received from the Dunblane Children’s
Community Partnership. Identical resources were purchased for each school in the cluster as this would again ensure consistency across the cluster. Success in achieving the educational and organisational purposes as set out in my project plan required new equipment and materials to be purchased. These would help with the improved learning and teaching of the SRE programme of study. With interactive DVD’s purchased, greater pupil involvement and interaction was encouraged. Up to date books were bought that helped stimulate discussion and questioning around SRE topics. Such interactive approaches have been proven to make a positive impact on pupil’s knowledge and understanding of this subject area and will hopefully aid them in making informed choices later on in life.
7.Providing appropriate staff development to support confident delivery of the S.R.E programme
A whole day in-service programme was planned by the Steering group, again this collaborative approach would ensure consistency across the cluster and feedback from the earlier staff CPD session had indicated that the needs of the majority of members of staff were the same; they wanted to feel more confident in their abilities to deliver the programme and happier with the language and vocabulary used in SRE. Initially this session was going to be delivered as a cluster group, however in discussion it was felt that staff would be more comfortable, given the nature of the CPD session, participating in the in-service in their own schools. At the outset of this session I asked my staff to quickly brainstorm their expectations of the day (see appendix
HI) and at the end of the session they had to use the interactive whiteboard to place and “arrow on a target to

indicate how close the steering group got to meeting staff needs. I was thrilled when all staff members chose to put their arrow in the “Bullseye” of the target, indicating that their needs had been met. This was another encouraging session where staff moral was high and the atmosphere a positive one. This session provided a valuable opportunity for the staff members who were part of the initial SRE training to lead the discussion groups and take on board a leadership role within the school. This helped move the project forward and assisted in achieving one of the key aims of fostering a greater sense of shared leadership to ensure support and efficient implementation. Collegiate working was evident throughout the day, with debate and discussion helping staff clarify their thoughts ideas and importantly build their knowledge and understanding of SRE.
Staff taking on these leadership roles, confidently led the discussion groups and were able to support colleagues with advice and guidance on SRE. At the end of this session all staff felt that they would now confidently embark on teaching SRE and the next step was for them to go and plan their individual lessons.
8. Launching a new S.R.E programme to parents through cluster open evening
It was identified through the earlier audit that communication with stakeholders was a problem and through the parental audit it was clear that the majority wished future communication on SRE to involve a discussion forum and workshops. In response to this request we revised the initial plan to share the SRE programme of study through School Road Shows and chose to hold one open evening up at the High School. This evening provided a golden opportunity to convey to parents the partnership approach that had been taken to the project (See Appendix O for Open Evening Programme) and contributed to the project aim of strengthening the lines and opportunities for communication in order to build and support the school’s capacity and capability for change. The evening involved a brief introduction and then stage workshops that were led by various teaching staff. Again this provided a wonderful opportunity for staff to exercise their leadership capabilities. The feedback from the evening is documented in (appendix PQ) and for the most part is overwhelmingly positive with many parents commenting on the informative nature of the evening and expressing their support for what we were trying to achieve through delivering this programme. The evening also provided the opportunity for parents to raise further concerns and questions with regard to SRE education and this directly informed the next steps for the project. Parents were very keen to have a copy of the learning intentions and the vocabulary list that was shared with them on the open evening, so that they could remain informed and ensure that the messages that the schools and the parents were giving were consistent. The steering group responded to this pulling together a vocabulary booklet and a copy of the learning intentions, which sent out to every parent. The impact of our actions again demonstrated to this key stakeholder group that they are valued and that their thoughts and opinions matter.
There was a group of individuals present on this evening who we knew would express vastly differing values, views and opinions from the bulk of parents and the staff members. Fore warned about their arrival the steering group and workshop leaders were able to meet in advance and prepare responses, again ensuring a united front and a clear message of a partnership approach to the evening.

9.Ensuring confident delivery of new S.R.E programme of study to all stages in all cluster schools
This aspect has not been formally monitored as staff felt this would un–nerve them when they were delivering these lessons for the first time, however by creating a collegiate approach to the project staff have been happy to openly share their teaching experiences of the programme so far. Staff room discussion would suggest that staff are more than happy with their delivery of SRE education and have been pleasantly surprised by how it has been received by the children. This in turn has boosted their confidence and they appear happier at the thought of delivering the programme next session. Staff have explained that there are some aspects of the programme that they may choose to alter and will select different resources as this will improve their delivery. This reflective practice that they are demonstrating has been encouraged and we look forward to the programme evolving and improving over time. The upper school staff expressed more concern over their delivery of the programme and required additional support and encouragement from colleagues and the school nurse. It was pleasing that this support could be provided and that the staff did not feel threatened.
They were happy to ask for help so that their confidence in their ability to teach SRE improved. Having completed the programme they are less apprehensive about delivering this next session. It will be important that prior to them delivering next year that they are aware that support and advice is still there for them should they require it.
10.Evaluating learning and teaching of new programme of study among, staff, pupils and
parents/carers ensuring that S.R.E is fully embedded within class health education programme
The formal evaluation that we would like to conduct would involve re-issuing the HGIOS two issues audit that was used at the start of the project. However the steering group felt that the programme of study has not been running long enough for any significant impact to register. It was felt that this formal audit would take place in
June 2009. It was recognised however that evaluation of the children’s and parental experiences was an important aspect of the project in that it signalled the continual involvement of our key stakeholders. In addition this feedback would notify us of any alterations or adaptions that would improve the programme at this early stage. Therefore the evaluation was two fold;-
A. Pupil Feedback
Every child received a feedback questionnaire following the completion of their SRE block of lessons. The questionnaires allowed us to find out what the children felt they had learned during the lessons, what they felt the best and worst parts of the lessons were and importantly, in light of the initial audit, how the children felt during the lessons. The picture from the children is overwhelmingly positive, especially in the lower stages, where children appear to have enjoyed the lessons, circling the I feel happy box, indicating that they have not had feelings of being embarrassed or of being scared. As we look at the evaluation in the senior school, while the children comment that the lessons were not as bad as they thought they were, with the Primary 6 and 7 children enjoying the single sex lessons, they still express feelings of embarrassment. (See Pupil Evaluations
Appendix T) We appreciate that it will take time for children’s attitudes towards SRE to change and it is hoped that with the language being introduced earlier, and SRE being a part of every primary stage’s curriculum, by the time the children are in the upper school it will just be another lesson. It is hoped that this will then ensure that the children are in a position to take on board the important messages that are being taught and that the

embarrassment and negative attitudes will no longer hamper their learning. At present the picture is positive, but only time and future evaluations will confirm this feeling.
B .
Parental Feedback
An informal questionnaire was sent out to parents (see appendix UV) that requested feedback in light of information that had been provided to parents throughout the project. This feedback was to continue the work that we had started on strengthening the lines and opportunities for communication with our parental stakeholders. This feedback questionnaire also gave the parents and carers the opportunity to share any thoughts or opinions on the implementation of the SRE programme to date, again helping build community links and partnerships with the parents. These questionnaires were sent to 10% of our parental population and the return was incredibly poor with only seven responses being received from the 40 questionnaires sent out. It appears from the returns that we received that these parents found all forms of communication very useful including the open evening, the information leaflet and the open afternoon and demonstrates the level and variety of communication that is required to help satisfy our parental stakeholders. The comments that were received were mixed. For the most part these parents appear happy with the programme of study and comment that their children have enjoyed it and found it interesting, however, there is still an obvious underlying concern about introducing this curricular area from Primary One. In opening up these communication channels and dialogue with parents over the SRE curriculum it has made us more accountable in our actions and it has become of increasing importance that this open communication, that has been established, continues. This will encourage parents to express concerns and provide the schools and with the opportunity to discuss and hopefully allay the fears of parents. With these improved lines of communication and opportunities for parental involvement we will hopefully continue to develop these trusting relationships encouraging our parents and carers to appreciate the professionalism of the teaching staff and our motivation to do what is right for their children. There is an obvious culture change required now that we deliver SRE throughout the school, but I am confident that in time, such a curricular change will just become the norm. As frightening statistics about teenage pregnancy and STI’s continue in the media there is certainly no denying the need to make changes to our S.R.E. programme within schools. Therefore I concluded that in a school of over 300 children, with parents who have a high interest level in their children’s education, it is interesting that more parents did not respond. Encouraging such involvement is still relatively new and our parents are used to contacting the school only where problems or concerns exist, so it may just be the case that the majority of parents are satisfied with the programme and do not feel the need to respond.
11.Encouraging staff to critically reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the programme and method of delivery of S.R.E lessons
Encouraging reflective practice is another area that we were keen to develop throughout this project, developing staff’s ability to reflect on their practice and recognise what worked well and what could be improved. A cluster sharing session was arranged with the chief intention of signifying the partnership and collaborative approach adopted throughout this project. Everyone present is a member of the professional learning community and this opportunity for collaboration and sharing was a key part of the learning process, bringing colleagues together to reflect on their personal experiences of delivering a whole school S.R.E. programme. The sharing session was a pleasant occasion and allowed staff the opportunity to recognise that other staff members shared similar concerns, have made similar journeys in their ability to deliver S.R.E. with

confidence. Whilst all of the feedback from the staff was very positive it was noticeable that the staff that taught in the lower stages had enjoyed delivering the programme far more than the upper school staff and had less apprehension about teaching this subject area. It became apparent that the challenges that the upper school staff felt were not to do with delivering the set lessons, but coping with the questions that the children may ask. I was pleased with the honest and reflective approach that the staff took to this session and the recognition that they gave to the fact that by adopting an such an approach support and advice can be offered and solutions to challenges found which impacts positively on the quality of teaching and learning.
With regards to the SRE programme, some areas for improvement were identified that involve altering the order of some of the SRE lessons and purchasing a few more resources, but on the whole all staff appeared happy with the programme of study and remarked that it had been well received by the children and had a positive impact on their learning. (See Appendix W for feedback overview)
12.Critically reflecting on the partnership working model and highlighting areas for improvement and examples of good practice
Developing a Professional Learning Community that ensured shared responsibility within a climate of genuine collegiality was a key organisational purpose of the project and success in achieving this aim was remarked upon by the steering group and all stakeholders during the sharing sessions, open evenings and open afternoons. People commented that they enjoyed being part of the team. The positives of working in this way cannot be underestimated and the impact that such an approach has made to pupil learning is recognised. In what has been a relatively short period of time the collective efforts of the multi disciplinary team and professional learning community have created, resourced, and supported staff in delivering a cluster sexual health and relationship programme of study. Sharing knowledge, expertise and experience has allowed us to agree a common vision for the benefit of our whole community. The Forth Valley Health Promotion
Representative on the Steering group reported that she was “encouraged by this sharing session” (the staff session held on 3 rd
June 2008) and was pleased to see “staff so enthusiastic and supportive of the programme” Having been part of a few projects that have involved school creating an SRE programme she feels that much of this success is due to the information shared with staff both informally and formally from the outset of the project and for its duration. It was very rewarding to have the project aims of strengthening the lines and opportunities for communication and motivating and engaging more staff through the initiation and implementation process recognised and the effort of everyone involved commended. I feel there is no doubt that the impact of working as part of a professional learning community and the resultant partnerships that have been made has had a positive impact and greatly increased the capability and capacity of all the schools in the area to deal with change. Since embarking on this project and improving links with schools in the community we have had the pleasure of working alongside staff in these other school on various other initiatives, including our grounds for learning group and during our health week. There is even talk now of creating a cluster pupils council with representatives from all schools. I feel this is an excellent example of how partnership working can benefit a community.

Targets for Phase 2
Educational Purpose
1. Re structure the order of some of the upper school lessons so that the progression in the upper school is improved
2. Monitoring the continuing impact of and attitudes towards SRE in the curriculum
3. Encourage continuing reflection on delivery of SRE making staff aware of continuing CPD opportunities that will help increase their confidence
4. Develop the existing SRE programme into S1 and S2 to ensure continuity and progression into Secondary School
5. Adapt the whole school P.S.E programme in line with school values with a view to providing additional support to children in dealing with relationships and their own emotional development
6. Re word the learning intentions in the parental leaflet so that these are in child friendly language
Organisational Purpose
1. Continue to encourage a collegiate approach to SRE education identifying peer supporters who could provide advice and guidance on the delivery of SRE
2. Ensure that the parental information booklet on SRE is given to all new parents
3. Identify future opportunities for parents to familiarise themselves with the SRE resources and to continue two way communication channels