SRE (Sex and Relationships Education) is VITAL in ensuring that we equip students with the confidence and knowledge needed to have healthy, positive and safe sexual relationships. Time and time again, research has shown that students are desperate for a curriculum that goes deeper than the biological mechanisms of sex; that goes beyond the scaremongering syllabus of STD’s and teen pregnancies and which delivers responsive and detailed information on a range of issues taking into account the emergence and influence of social media platforms, new media and pornography; pupils want to learn about pleasure, their bodies, relationships and the emotional responses to physical acts as well as being informed on consent and bodily autonomy.
With this in mind, and the understanding that great SRE can contribute to healthy sexual development, Naomi Rudoe and Alice Hoyle recently held a fantastic, and well attended event – Healthy Sexual Development Symposium: How relationships and sex education can contribute towards healthy sexual development. Here we provide GEA readers with a comprehensive report of their findings. This makes for fascinating reading and can go far in helping structure our practice when delivering effective SRE.
