Sex Education Forum

What is reflexivity and how can it help educators addressing pornography as part of Relationships and Sex Education? #RSE  In our annual RSE Poll (2025), young people told us that 'not making students feel judged' is the most important factor for teaching RSE well. They also told us which parts of the school RSHE curriculum are most neglected, and pornography is near the top of that list.  So how can we move forwards and close this gap? To help educators to reflect on how their own views can impact on delivering education around pornography, and to feel more confident approaching the subject, we're holding an event that introduces a reflexivity framework for use in RSHE.  Guest speaker Giselle Woodley from Edith Cowan University, Australia, will bring their research with young people to life, exploring experiences of sexual content online and demonstrating how the reflexivity tool can support reflection and practice.     📅 21 October 2026  ⏱️ 10am – 11.15am  📖 Reflexivity in pornography education   ☑️ Free for members    We'd love to see you at this special CPD event. Join now, with membership from just £15 per year. Members receive an exclusive booking link.

Make RSE accessible for every young person.   Are you a visiting educator looking to strengthen your confidence in delivering inclusive, high-quality RSE for learners with SEND?   Our interactive online course, Delivering RSE to Learners with SEND, is designed to help visiting educators adapt their practice, navigate key guidance, and create safe, engaging learning experiences for all young people.   📅 15 October ⏰ 9.00am to 1.00pm 📍Online via Zoom   You'll explore: ✅ RSHE guidance, the SEND Code of Practice and Preparing for Adulthood ✅ Approaches to teaching key RSE topics with learners with SEND ✅ Selecting and adapting age-appropriate resources ✅ Identifying and removing barriers to learning ✅ Creating inclusive and safe learning environments   Whether you're already delivering in specialist settings or preparing to do so, this course will equip you with practical tools and strategies you can use straight away.   Johanna Aiyathurai, CEO, Learn and Thrive, says of the course: "If you're a visiting educator and you're not a SEND specialist, you need to be asking whether your support is genuinely appropriate, and how to adapt your approach so it adds real value rather than becoming a tick box. This course does exactly that. It gives you the context and the practical skills to work out whether SEND specific provision is for you, and how to make it work."   🔗 Find out more and book your place: https://lnkd.in/eyJh2P9J   #RSE #SEND #RelationshipsEducation #SexEducation #PSHE #Inclusion #VisitingEducators #EducationTraining #SexEducationForum

Exciting news! We are recruiting for a Communications Officer to join our team! This is an incredible opportunity for a communications specialist to bring your skillset to a thriving, innovative and highly respected national charity.   We are seeking to appoint someone with communications skills across digital, marketing and media, who can deploy story-telling to communicate on social issues including sensitive topics. The successful candidate will by highly organised and adept at using social media and traditional media to deliver meticulously prepared content. Your ability to deliver our communications functions with creativity and sensitivity will enable us to platform young people and communicate effectively to stakeholders including funders, government, Parliamentarians and the public.  We are particularly keen to hear from applicants that reflect the diversity of educators and young people that Sex Education Forum seeks to support.  📅 The role is offered at 0.9FTE, which equates to 31.5 hours across the working week.  💷 £33,000 for 1.0FTE 🏠 Home based role, with occassional travel ⏱️ Application deadline: 13 October 2026 (midnight) 💡 Interviews (online): 23 October 2026

We're thrilled to mark #SexualHealthWeek with an incredible members' only event, Breaking Barriers: Youth Shaping Sexual Health.   Through a series of case studies and a live youth panel, you'll hear how young people have helped shape sexual health education, information and services in different communities and settings, and what professionals can learn from their experiences and perspectives.   You'll be hearing from an incredible panel of speakers who have unique outlooks on providing high quality education on sexual health: 🔵 Hackney Council (London Borough of Hackney) - An overview of how Hackney Council is transforming youth healthcare and the co-design of a new health literacy booklet to empower young people to understand their health rights. 🟢Youth panelists who have been working alongside Hackney council. 🔵Leeds City Council - Sharing how young people have helped them rebuild their youth sexual wellness service, workforce training, and information resources in Leeds. 🟢Running Deer School (Running Deer CIC) - Sharing how they have brought sexual health services into their specialist setting to support their SEN learners. 🔵SASH London - Exploring approaches to engaging migrant and refugee young men, including delivering support in trusted community spaces    🗓 17 September ⏰ 15:30–17:30 📍 Zoom Webinar   Members have received a unique registration link via email.   Not a member and would like to join? Become a member today for as little as £15: https://lnkd.in/eHYXB6gp

🚨New free members' resource alert! The updated RSHE statutory guidance highlights the importance of helping young people understand healthcare services, including the role of pharmacies. Following our event, 'Breaking barriers: learning to use pharmacies' in July, we’ve created a learning pack to help our members introduce the topic with parents, carers and young people. It includes: ✅A printable resource for adults – parents/carers and educators  ✅A printable resource for young people in secondary schools ✅ A short video explaining pharmacy basics. The resources support learning about accessing healthcare services, finding reliable health information, seeking help when needed and developing confidence in managing health and wellbeing. Suitable for use in parent communications, curriculum update meetings and information sessions, these resources offer a practical way to support key RSHE learning and strengthen school-home partnerships. Members can access this resource here: https://lnkd.in/emwQXEFq Not yet a member? Become a member today to access this resource and much more: https://lnkd.in/eHYXB6gp

High-quality RSE gives young people the knowledge they need to understand both healthy relationships and their own wellbeing. It's particularly encouraging to hear young people recognise when their learning has covered a broad range of topics that feel relevant and important to their lives.   Feedback like this reflects the value of a comprehensive approach to RSE, one that equips young people with the information, skills and confidence to navigate relationships safely, recognise unhealthy behaviours and make informed choices.    We're sharing stories like these through #YourRSEWins to celebrate the positive impact of RSE and the educators making it happen. Join us by sharing, commenting and highlighting your own RSE wins using the hashtag.

Knowing how to use condoms and contraception correctly is a vital part of preparing young people to make informed decisions about their health and relationships. That's why it's encouraging to see that 69% of young people told us they had learnt everything they needed to know about condoms and contraception.   This finding reflects the important work taking place in schools to provide practical, age-appropriate and accessible RSE. Giving young people the knowledge and confidence to understand sexual health is a key part of helping them navigate relationships safely and responsibly. Through #YourRSEWins, we're celebrating the educators making a difference every day. Follow the campaign, share our posts and tell us about the moments that make you proud to deliver RSE.

There's a positive story emerging from our Young People's RSE Poll. Since 2021, we've seen a steady increase in the number of young people rating the RSE they receive at school as good or very good, rising from 35% in 2021 to 52% in 2025.   While there's always more work to do, this progress reflects the commitment of educators, school leaders and RSE professionals who continue to strengthen and improve provision for young people. Every thoughtfully planned lesson, staff training session and curriculum review contributes to creating better learning experiences.   As we celebrate #YourRSEWins, we'd like to thank everyone working to make RSE relevant, inclusive and impactful. The growing confidence young people have in their RSE is something the whole community can be proud of. 

Engaging young people in their learning is at the heart of high-quality RSE. When lessons encourage participation and create opportunities for discussion, young people are more likely to feel involved, confident and able to learn from one another. We're proud to hear so many positive experiences through our Young People's RSE Poll 2025. Feedback like this reflects the thought, skill and dedication that educators bring to RSE every day, helping to create learning environments where young people feel included and supported. As we celebrate #YourRSEWins, we'd like to thank everyone working to make RSE relevant, interactive and meaningful for young people across all age groups. 

A statistic from our latest Young People's RSE poll, and a win for you that's worth celebrating. Positive RSE helps young people feel informed, supported and better equipped to navigate relationships, health and wellbeing. Behind this statistic are schools and educators working hard to create learning environments where young people can ask questions, build confidence and thrive.   Positivity is also a guiding principle in the updated Government RSHE guidance 2025, to be implemented from September. Every positive RSE experience makes a difference. 💚 #YourRSEWins #RSE #RelationshipsEducation #PSHE #YoungPeople #EducationMatters