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Protecting students from sexual harassment
We take all matters of harassment seriously. We deal with the particular issue of sexual harassment within PSHE lessons where we seek to ensure that our programme of lessons is a carefully sequenced, spiral curriculum that revisits the relevant topic areas, each time extending and deepening learning in an age and developmentally-appropriate way.
The statutory RSHE guidance identifies a wide range of relevant content in the secondary phase related to treating others respectfully, recognising unhealthy relationships and seeking support. This includes teaching about harassment and abuse in both KS3 and KS4.
We have mapped our scheme of work to the statutory guidance to teach topics in each year group as follows:
| Year 7 | • How to develop self-worth and self-efficacy • About qualities and behaviours relating to different types of positive relationships • How to recognise and challenge media stereotypes • How to evaluate expectations for romantic relationships • About consent, and how to seek and assertively communicate consent • About identity, rights and responsibilities • How to support others |
| Year 8 | • Understand the importance of friendship and to begin to consider love and sexual relationships in this context • Know that they have rights over their bodies • Begin to consider different levels of intimacy and their consequences • Acknowledge the right not to have intimate relationships until ready. The qualities of positive, healthy relationships • How to demonstrate positive behaviours in healthy relationships • About gender identity and sexual orientation • About forming new partnerships and developing relationships • About the law in relation to consent • That the legal and moral duty is with the seeker of consent • How to effectively communicate about consent in relationships • About the risks of ‘sexting’ and how to manage requests or pressure to send an image |
| Year 9 | • How to access support services. About readiness for sexual activity, the choice to delay sex, or enjoy intimacy without sex • About myths and misconceptions relating to consent • About the continuous right to with draw consent and capacity to consent • About STIs, effective use of condoms and negotiating safer sex • About the consequences of unprotected sex, including pregnancy • How the portrayal of relationships in the media and pornography might affect expectation • How to assess and manage risks of sending, sharing or passing on sexual images |
| Year 10 | • About relationship values and the role of pleasure in relationships • About myths, assumptions, misconceptions and social norms about sex, gender and relationships • About the opportunities and risks of forming and conducting relationships online • How to manage the impact of the media and pornography on sexual attitudes, expectations and behaviours • About the ethical and legal implications in relation to consent including manipulation, coercion and capacity to consent • How to recognise and respond to pressure, coercion and exploitation, including reporting and accessing appropriate support • How to recognise and challenge victim blaming |
| Year 11 | • About different types of families and changing family structures • How to evaluate readiness for parenthood and positive parenting qualities • About ‘honour-based’ violence and forced marriage and how to safely access support |