EPISODE DETAILS
Episode 1: RSE ABC: What does statutory mean for schools?
18/05/2020 | 43 min
From September 2020, Relationships, Sex and Health Education will be statutory in English schools. After decades of campaigning, this is the first time that all schools will be required to teach these subjects, and the first time since 2000 that schools have had updated guidance.
In this introductory episode we unpick the government’s new RSHE guidance and find out what it really means for schools. Our experienced guests share their opinions on why statutory matters, what challenges and opportunities lie ahead, and what schools can do to get ready for September 2020.
Referenced resources
Guests
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Lucy Emmerson, Director, Sex Education Forum
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Anna Martinez, Public Health Officer, Haringey Council
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Juliet Henry, Head of Skills, Development & Progress, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School
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Catherine Kirk, RSE Consultant, Nottingham City Council
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Dougie Boyd, Head of Education, Brook
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Professor Julia Hirst, Sheffield Hallam University
Further resources
Episode 2: The Primary Problem: Do we still need sex education?
18/05/2020 | 39 min
New guidance for schools on teaching relationships, sex and health education paints a confusing picture for primary schools. Sex education is not compulsory at primary, but it is ‘recommended’ that every primary school teach sex education. In contracts to the other subjects however, there is almost no information about what this should include and schools are left to fill in the gaps themselves.
In this episode we explore what the new requirements mean for primary schools and how they should decide what sex education is, and whether/when it should be taught. We speak to the PSHE Service at Brighton & Hove City Council about how they are defining sex education and why they are continuing to recommend that all schools teach Sex Education from reception onward.
Referenced resources
Guests
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Dougie Boyd, Head of Education, Brook
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Sam Beal, Partnership Adviser: Health & Wellbeing, Brighton & Hove City Council
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Isabel Reid, Primary PSHE Lead Teacher, Brighton & Hove City Council
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Sarah Jackson, Primary PSHE Lead Teacher, Brighton & Hove City Council
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Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, Health Education Guidance for schools, DfE
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RSE Definitions Guide, Sex Education Forum (Free to members/£5.99)
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Report: Heads or Tails? What young people are telling us about RSE, Sex Education Forum
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Report: Not yet good enough: personal, social, health and economic education in schools, DfE
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Report: Mental Health of children and Young people in England, NHS (2017)
Further resources
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Free downloadable lesson handouts and other free resources, Brook
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Information for young people about vaginas and vulvas, Brook
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Article: RSE, health education and parental consultation, Leah Jewett
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Parental Engagement Questions, Sex Education Forum (Free to members)
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Mapping the PSHE Programme of Study against RSHE Guidance, PSHE Association
Episode 3: Pornography
19/05/2020 | 47 min
With greater access than ever before, and a growing number of young people saying they are regular consumers, what does it mean to teach about pornography in the classroom? What are the ‘facts’ and what skills do young people really need to help navigate an industry that has become unavoidable?
In this episode, we look at what schools are now required to teach about pornography and explore some of the methods and approaches that can be used. Our guests share their experience of what makes learning safe, how to manage behaviour, and how to explore a billion-dollar industry that is shaping attitudes not just towards sex, but also to relationships, bodies, sexuality and power.
Guests
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Vanessa Rogers, Consultant, trainer, author
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Emma Chan, Facilitator, Sexplain
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Nathaniel Cole, Facilitator, Sexplain/Good Lad Initiative
Referenced resources
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Ted Talk: Why we need to change the way men think about consent, Nathaniel Cole
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Report: “I wasn’t sure it was normal to watch it”, NSPCC (2017)
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Book: Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity, Peggy Orenstein, (2020)
Further resources
Episode 4: Sexual Health
08/06/2020 | 45 min
Guests
From September 2020, all secondary schools in England will be required to teach about intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health. Data shows that better education around sexual health is urgently needed, but with major cuts to sexual health services, and most teachers lacking specialist training, how are they to deliver this new content?
This episode explores what young people need when it comes to learning about sexual health and guests share get practical tips on what teachers can do to deliver the new curriculum. There is a visit to a sexual health clinic and guests explore how to make teaching about sexual health more inclusive for pupils.
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Louise Carrington, Director of Operations, Brook Liverpool
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Zahrah Al-Bejawi, Education and Wellbeing Coordinator, Brook
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Lota Bantiҫ, Education and Wellbeing Coordinator, Brook
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Gayathiri Kamalakanthan, Facilitator, Decolonising Contraception
Referenced resources
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Report: Lessons for the new era of mandatory RSE. Brook.
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Report: Key findings from NAHT’s survey on PSHE and RSE, NAHT
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Report: NEU & NSPCC survey into school readiness for RSE lessons in 2020
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Article: Why don’t children tell their parents about sexual abuse, Think U Know
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Report: Heads or Tails? What young people are telling us about SRE, The Sex Education Forum (2016
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Resource: Sexuality aGender: an inclusive sexual health toolkit, The Proud Trust
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Report: Key Data on Young people 2019. Chapter 5: Sexual health and identity, AYPH
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Report: Sexual attitudes and lifestyles in Britain. Highlights from Natsal-3
Further resources
Episode 5: LGBT+ inclusive RSHE
29/06/2020 | 49 min
Guests
The new statutory guidance on Relationships, Sex and Health Education states that the new subjects should meet the needs of all pupils and that LGBT inclusion should be 'fully integrated'. This is in line with the Equality Act 2010, but the language in the guidance is vague and its not exactly clear what this means in practice.
This episode explores why LGBT inclusion matters and how it links to schools wider equalities work. Guests share practical tips on intersectionality, how to talk more inclusively about sex, and young people share their ideas about the kinds of changes that they would like to see.
Referenced resources
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Article: Wood, R., Hirst, J., Wilson, L., & Burns-O'Connell, G. (2019). The pleasure imperative? Reflecting on sexual pleasure’s inclusion in sex education and sexual health. Sex Education, 19 (1), 1-14.
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Article: Lee, Catherine (2019) Fifteen Years on: The Legacy of Section 28 for LGBT+ teachers in English Schools. Sex Education, 19 (6). pp. 675-690
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Glossary: Comprehensive list of LGBTQ+ vocabulary definitions, Sam Kellerman
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Guidance: The Wellbeing of LGBT+ pupils. A Guide for Orthodox Jewish Schools
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Guidance: Trans inclusion schools toolkit, Brighton & Hove City Council, Allsorts Youth Project
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Guidance: The Equality Act 2010 and schools, Department for Education (2014)
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Report: National LGBT Survey summary report, Government Equalities Office
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Resource: Gender Action Schools award, Institute of Physics & partners
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Resource: LGBT+ Objects, Sex and History, University of Exeter
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Resource: Sexuality Agender: Inclusive Sexual Health Toolkit, The Proud Trust
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LGBT+ Youth Voices, Brook LGBT youth group
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Josie Rayner-Wells, National PSHE Advisor
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Prof. Julia Hirst, Professor of Sociology, Sheffield Hallam University
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Ali Hanbury, LGBT+ Centre Manager, The Proud Trust
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Chloe Cousins, Training/Facilitator, The Proud Trust
Further resources
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Guidance: Schools transgender guidance, The Intercom Trust & Devon and Cornwall Police 2015
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Guidance: Equality and Human Rights Commission - Technical guidance for schools in England
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Resource: Agenda: A young peopels guide to making positive relationships matter
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Resource: 12 principles of high quality RSE, Sex Education Forum
Episode 6: Abortion
20/07/2020 | 44 min
Guests
The RSHE guidance states that all pupils should leave secondary school having learnt about abortion. Abortion is one of the most routine medical procedures in the UK, but is still heavily stigmatised and research shows that it is rarely taught as part of RSE.
This episode unpicks the myths and misconceptions around abortion and highlights resources to ensure information is 'medially and legally accurate'. Guests explore the evidence and look beyond ethical dilemmas to show why abortion is a truly global issue.
Referenced resources
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Lesley Hoggart, Professor of Social Policy, Open University
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Lisa Hallgarten, Head of Policy, Brook
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Yordanos Wolde, Project Coordinator, Talent Youth Association
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Laura Hurley, Programme Adviser, Safe Abortion Action Fund
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Article (Research): Emotions and decision rightness over five years following an abortion: An examination of decision difficulty and abortion stigma (2019)
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Article (Research): The access paradox: abortion law, policy and practice in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia (2019)
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Article (Research): Toward normalising abortion: Findings from a qualitative secondary analysis study (2020)
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Article (Research): Turnaway Study Summary Report (2020)
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Evidence: The Turnaway Study, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health
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Evidence: Abortion statistics for England and Wales 2019. Summary, Department of Health
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Resource: Brook eLearning - Abortion
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Guidance: How to report on abortion, International Planned Parenthood Federation
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Organisation: International Planned Parenthood Federation
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Organisation: Talent Youth Association Ethiopia
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Organsation: Safe Abortion Action Fund, IPPF
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Resource: World Abortion Laws Map, Centre for Reproductive Rights
Further resources
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Article: BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour
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Article: New NICE guidance published on abortion care, Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
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Organisation: Doctors for Choice UK
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Organisation: Education for Choice
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Organisation: British PRegnancy Advisory Service (Bpas)
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Organisation: Marie Stopes Abortion Services
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Resource: Educational resources, British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas)
Episode 7: Puberty
3/11/2021 | 37 mins
All pupils should now be taught about puberty as part of Health Education. While attitudes are changing, evidence suggests that many children are still not learning the key facts about their changing bodies, with implications for their self confidence and body image, as well as their health and safety.
This episode explores what puberty is and what good puberty education should look like. Guests outline the challenges facing teachers, including naming body parts, tackling misinformation online and how 'precocious' or early-onset puberty is affecting certain populations. Pupils share experiences of puberty education at school and at home and offer their tips on how to take the anxiety and shame out of talking about the body.
Referenced resources
Guests
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Youth voice, Year 4 pupil
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Eleanor Draeger, Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV
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Nick Dunne, Head of Development, Brook
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Celia Roberts, Professor of Sociology, Australia National University
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Youth voice, Year 10 students
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Article: Half of brits don't know where the vagina is - and its not just the men. Yougov
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Article: When 'that time of the month' was finally called 'period' on American TV
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Article: Why children spend time online, Ofcom
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Book: Puberty in Crisis. The Sociology of Early Sexual Development. Celia Roberts
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Evidence: Heads or Tails? What young people are telling us about SRE Sex Education Forum
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Evidence: Yougov poll 2019
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Evidence: Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report, 2018. Ofcom
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Guidance: Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), Department for Education
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Organisation: Brook, Healthy Lives for Young People
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Organisation: Sex Education Forum
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Resource: Amaze, Age-appropriate info on puberty for tweens (American)
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Resource: Brook, Your Life - puberty
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Resource: Brook - Puberty eLearning course for professionals
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Resource: Christopher Winter Project, Teaching RSE with confidence in primary schools
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Resource: Coram Life Education, Scarf
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Resource: Discovery Education, Health and Relationships Education
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Resource: fpa, Growing Up with Yasmin and Tom
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Resource: Jigsaw, The Mindful Approach to PSHE
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Resource: Oak Academy, RSHE (PSHE) units
Further resources
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Book: Inventing Ourselves: Secret life of the teenage brain, Sarah-Jane Blakemore
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Organisation: Period Positive. Campaigning and educational organisation championing positive periods
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Organisation: Bloody Good Period, social enterprise tackling period poverty amongst refugees in the UK
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Resource: The Big Think, values-led RSE and PSHE in primary schools
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Resource: Hey Girls, teaching packs from the period poverty social enterprise
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One to watch: Netflix, Period. End of Sentence. Documentary about period poverty in India.
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One to watch: The mask you live in, documentary about the pressures of masculinity on boys growing up