Year 9 · RSHE (PSHE) · beta

Healthy relationships: How do relationships change?

This unit explores different types of committed relationships, including romantic partnerships, marriage and civil partnerships. Pupils learn about the characteristics of healthy long-term relationships, legal rights and protections, and how relationships evolve over time.

This is an attributed Oak National Academy lesson sequence, not a completed or academically approved DASKEREL course. Supporting transcripts may depend on video, images, practical equipment or teacher explanation. Follow each lesson’s supervision guidance. For religious education and RSHE, follow the school’s syllabus, policy and safeguarding procedures.

Prior knowledge

  • Pupils should understand from Year 7 and Year 8 the characteristics of positive relationships, including trust, respect, honesty and kindness, and how these apply to all relationship types.
  • Pupils should be familiar with concepts of consent and boundaries from previous units.
  • Pupils should know from earlier learning about different types of families and relationships in their communities.

Source curriculum references

  • How these relationships might contribute to wellbeing, and their importance for bringing up children.
  • Why marriage or civil partnership is an important relationship choice for many couples.
  • The legal status of marriage and civil partnership, including that they carry legal rights, benefits and protections
  • The legal rights, benefits, and protections available to married people are not extended to couples who are cohabiting or who have, for example, undergone a non-legally binding religious ceremony.
  • That ‘common-law marriage’ is a myth and cohabitants do not obtain marriage-like status or rights from living together or by having children.
  • How families and relationships change over time, including through birth, death, separation and new relationships.
  • The characteristics of positive relationships of all kinds, online and offline, including romantic relationships.
  • Pupils should understand the role of consent, trust, mutual respect, honesty, kindness, loyalty, shared interests and outlooks, generosity, boundaries, tolerance and privacy in relationships.
  • The concepts and laws relating to forced marriage.
  • That people of all ages can enjoy intimate and romantic relationships without sex.

Oak source metadata. DASKEREL has not independently verified school-level coverage.

Loading lessons…