Character & Citizenship Education

CCE Framework

The WDP’s core values are the heartbeat of the WDP CCE framework, injecting life and meaning into our CCE programmes. Driven by Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies, our programmes focus on the head, heart and hands of every pupil, allowing each pupil to learn and grow into active citizens of good character. These efforts aim to achieve primarily, pupils bettering social and emotional skills while also having as secondary outcomes, pupils pursuing learning on their own and striving for excellence in the enriching environment of WDP.

CCE Programmes

Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) has always been at the heart of education in Singapore. Various key programmes such as Civics and Moral Education (CME, 1992), National Education (NE, 1997), the Community Involvement Programme (CIP, 1997), and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL, 2005) have been put in place to inculcate values and build competencies in our pupils to develop them into good individuals and useful citizens. In addition, programmes such as Education and Career Guidance (ECG), Sexuality Education (SEd), and Cyber Wellness meet pupils’ specific developmental needs.

CCE is central to the 21st Century Competencies Framework. It emphasises the interconnectedness of the core values, social and emotional competencies and civic literacy, global awareness and cross-cultural skills that are critical for character and citizenship development of our pupils. CCE shifts our focus from programmes and individual endeavours to a common purpose

Learning Outcomes (LO) for Character and Citizenship Education

Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve personal well-being and effectiveness.
Apply moral reasoning, display responsibility in decision-making, and demonstrate integrity to stand by moral principles and shared values.
Develop social awareness and demonstrate interpersonal skills to build and maintain positive relationships.
Demonstrate resilience in the face of individual, community and national challenges, and develop the ability to turn challenges to opportunities.
Appreciate our national identity, develop a sense of belonging to Singapore, and demonstrate commitment to the well-being, security and defence of the nation.
Demonstrate socio-cultural sensitivity and promote social cohesion and harmony in Singapore as a multi-cultural society.
Demonstrate care for others and contribute actively towards improving the lives of others to build a bright future for ourselves and to progress together as a nation.
Demonstrate the ability to reflect on and respond to community, national and global issues, and to make informed and responsible decisions as a citizen.

IN TOUCH Programme

Sexuality Education 2024

MOE Sexuality Education in Schools

1. Sexuality Education (SEd) in schools is about enabling students to understand the physiological, social and emotional changes they experience as they mature, develop healthy and rewarding relationships including those with members of the opposite sex, and make wise, informed and responsible decisions on sexuality matters. SEd is premised on the importance of the family as the basic unit of society. This means encouraging healthy, heterosexual marriages and stable nuclear family units with extended family support. The teaching and learning of SEd is based on respect for the values and beliefs of the different ethnic and religious communities in Singapore on sexuality issues.

2. The Goals of Sexuality Education are:

To help students make wise, responsible and informed decisions through the provision of accurate, current and age-appropriate knowledge on human sexuality and the consequences of sexual activity;
To help students know themselves and build healthy and rewarding relationships through the acquisition of social and emotional skills of self-awareness, management of their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, development of empathy for others, possession of effective communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills; and
To help students develop a moral compass, respect for themselves and for others as sexual beings, premised on the family as the basic unit of society, through the inculcation of positive mainstream values and attitudes about sexuality.

3. The Key Messages of Sexuality Education are:

Love and respect yourself as you love and respect others;
Build positive relationships based on love and respect (which are the foundation for strong families);
Make responsible decisions for yourself, your family and society; and
Abstinence before marriage is the best protection against STIs/HIV and unintended pregnancies. Casual sex can harm and hurt you and your loved ones.

You may click here for more information on MOE Sexuality Education.

Overview of Woodlands Primary School’s Sexuality Education Programme for 2024

4. Sexuality Education is delivered in a holistic manner through the school curriculum. The content for Sexuality Education is grouped into five main themes: Human Development, Interpersonal Relationships, Sexual Health, Sexual Behaviour, and, Culture, Society and Law. You may click here for more information on the scope of Sexuality Education in the school curriculum.

5. The subjects that incorporate topics on sexuality include:
(a) Science
(b) Character and Citizenship Education (CCE)

Sexuality Education Lessons

6. The upper primary years mark the onset of puberty. With better nutrition and improved health care, children are reaching puberty at a younger age and have to grapple with physical, emotional and psychological changes in themselves. The implication is that our children are becoming biologically ready for sexual activity sooner without necessarily having the corresponding cognitive or emotional maturity to modulate their behaviours. Furthermore, our young are also exposed to a wide range of influences that could endanger health and undermine the integrity of the family. Our students require guidance so that they can respond with discernment to the sexual messages in the media and other sources.

7. Sexuality Education (SEd) lessons are taught as part of CCE (FTGP) at Primary 5 and 6. In SEd, students learn to understand the physiological, social and emotional changes they experience as they mature, develop healthy and rewarding relationships including those with members of the opposite sex, and make wise, informed and responsible decisions on sexuality matters.

At Woodlands Primary School, the following lessons from the Growing Years Programme will be taught in 2024:

Primary 5

CCE (FTGP) THEME	LESSON TITLE / DURATION	LESSON OVERVIEW	TIME PERIOD (e.g. Term 1 Week 2)
Growing Years	Did You Know? (60 min)	This lesson focuses on helping students know what pornography is and how it can affect themselves and others. Students will learn about the dangers of being exposed to sexually explicit materials and reject the viewing and/or reading of pornographic materials. They will learn to evaluate their own responses when they encounter pornography by applying the strategy ‘Stop-Think-Do’. This lesson is conducted separately for boys and girls in different classrooms, so that the students will feel more comfortable during the discussions.	Term 2 Week 8
	Keeping Myself Safe (60 min)	In this lesson, students will learn about sexual abuse, how it can happen during online and offline interactions and the impact of such abuse on victims. They also learn how to take precautionary measures to be safe and how to seek help for themselves and their friends. This lesson is conducted separately for boys and girls in different classrooms, so that the students will feel more comfortable during the discussions.	Term 4 Week 2
	Keeping Myself Safe (60 min)	This lesson focuses on helping students identify the emotions and stress caused by physical changes during puberty. Students will learn to describe the healthy ways to manage their negative feelings during this time. They will also learn to recognise that one’s identity need not be negatively affected, even when one’s body is experiencing changes due to puberty. This lesson is conducted separately for boys and girls in different classrooms, so that the students will feel more comfortable during the discussions.	Term 4 Week 3

CCE (FTGP) THEME

LESSON TITLE / DURATION

LESSON OVERVIEW

TIME PERIOD (e.g. Term 1 Week 2)

Growing Years

Did You Know?
(60 min)

This lesson focuses on helping students know what pornography is and how it can affect themselves and others. Students will learn about the dangers of being exposed to sexually explicit materials and reject the viewing and/or reading of pornographic materials. They will learn to evaluate their own responses when they encounter pornography by applying the strategy ‘Stop-Think-Do’.

This lesson is conducted separately for boys and girls in different classrooms, so that the students will feel more comfortable during the discussions.

Term 2 Week 8

Keeping Myself Safe
(60 min)

In this lesson, students will learn about sexual abuse, how it can happen during online and offline interactions and the impact of such abuse on victims. They also learn how to take precautionary measures to be safe and how to seek help for themselves and their friends.

This lesson is conducted separately for boys and girls in different classrooms, so that the students will feel more comfortable during the discussions.

Term 4 Week 2

Keeping Myself Safe
(60 min)

This lesson focuses on helping students identify the emotions and stress caused by physical changes during puberty. Students will learn to describe the healthy ways to manage their negative feelings during this time. They will also learn to recognise that one’s identity need not be negatively affected, even when one’s body is experiencing changes due to puberty.

This lesson is conducted separately for boys and girls in different classrooms, so that the students will feel more comfortable during the discussions.

Term 4 Week 3

Primary 6

CCE (FTGP) THEME	LESSONS TITLE/ DURATION	Lesson OVERVIEW	TIME PERIOD (e.g. Term 1 Week 2)
Growing Years	Are We More than Friends? Lesson 1 (60 min)	In this lesson, students will learn to distinguish between the characteristics of love and infatuation, and identify the strong emotions that may arise from experiencing the feelings of infatuation. They will recognise that experiencing feelings of infatuation is part of growing up and becoming infatuated with someone does not mean that they should be involved in a romantic relationship. Instead, they should focus on building strong and healthy friendships with their circles of friends.	Term 2 Week 3
	Are We More than Friends? Lesson 2 (60 min)	In this lesson, students will learn healthy ways to manage the emotions arising from infatuation and recognise the importance of respecting the boundaries of any relationship. They will also recognise the negative impact of teasing their peers who may be experiencing the feelings of infatuation and learn to behave maturely towards each other.	Term 3 Week 1

Information for Parents

8. Parents may opt their children out of the Growing Years programme, and/or supplementary sexuality education programmes by MOE-approved external providers.

9. Parents who wish to opt their children out of the Growing Years (GY) programme need to complete an opt-out form. This form will be distributed to parents at the start of the year and is also downloadable here. The completed opt-out form is to be submitted by 10 February 2024.

10. Parents can contact the school at 6269 7410 for discussion or to seek clarification about the school’s sexuality education programme.