Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)
Consent
Effective relationships and sexuality education can help pupils to recognise potentially exploitive and dangerous situations and how to take preventative action. When they understand safe boundaries and consent, this can help them to develop essential qualities like respect, resilience and self-esteem.
This area of the RSE Hub signposts to resources and guidance information that can help teachers, parents/carers, and children and young people explore issues around consent and how to stay safe.
Primary
Children as young as four should start exploring the concept of safe boundaries, understanding that their body belongs to them and them alone. They should recognise what is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour and touch, and that attention which makes them feel uncomfortable may be putting them in an unsafe situation.
They should learn about their rights over their own bodies, respectful relationships, peer (and adult) pressure and their responsibilities towards others. They should be aware and confident of their right to say no and to report abuse.
Children must know what to do if they feel unsafe at any time. Good practice in the classroom includes:
- displaying photos of key staff that pupils can approach in noticeable areas throughout the school; and
- having a worry box in the classroom, school office or at safeguarding display boards.
Primary Units
Foundation Stage
Unit 1: Privacy and Consent
In this unit, children develop an understanding of what private means and when privacy is necessary. They also explore personal space and appropriate touch, and develop an understanding of basic consent and trust.
Key Stage 1
Unit 1: Privacy and Consent
In this unit, children learn to recognise that everyone has the right to privacy. They also develop an understanding of bodily autonomy and explore help-seeking behaviours.
Unit 2: Privacy and Consent Online
In this unit, children reflect on their online behaviours, identify potential dangers in online environments and explore strategies to keep themselves safe online.
Key Stage 2
Unit 1: My Body, My Choice
In this unit, children learn that their body belongs to them and that they have the right to say no to anything that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
Unit 2: The Meaning of Consent, How to Give Consent, How to Say No and How to Seek Help
In this unit, children learn about what consent means and how to give consent or say no. They also learn about being the boss of their own body and how to seek help if something worries them.
Primary Links
Here are some links that we think are particularly useful for this topic:
Learning Activity 3: Decision-Making Skills in our resource can help pupils evaluate risky situations and devise alternative actions for these situations - nicurriculum.org.uk
Aimed at Key Stage 3 pupils with severe learning difficulties, our resource can also help primary school pupils to identify the body parts that are good, okay and bad for other people to touch.
Covering topics like the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch, this page includes a lesson plan, presentation, teaching guidance and resources for parents/carers - learning.nspcc.org.uk
Post-Primary
Learning about consent should start before young people are sexually active. Young people should know that sexual activity is illegal under the age of 16 – the age of consent. They should also know and understand that the person seeking consent is responsible for ensuring that:
- consent is clearly given; and
- the person has the freedom and capacity to give consent.
Teaching about consent involves developing knowledge and skills around making appropriate choices, mitigating risk, verbal and non-verbal communication, managing manipulative situations, negotiation, challenging myths and respecting the rights of others as well as themselves.
Young people should understand that consent is not confined to situations of a sexual nature, but to other decision-making situations within relationships, and may relate to online as well as offline situations.
Post-Primary Films
You can use these short films to initiate classroom discussions with your Key Stage 4 pupils around consent and non-consensual sharing of explicit images. We’re currently developing teaching resources to accompany the films, and they’ll be available soon.
Cinemagic – ‘Message Sent’
This 15-minute film explores consent and the consequences for both the victim and the perpetrator of non-consensual sharing of explicit images on social media.
Consent Monologues
This 20-minute film is based on Cinemagic’s ‘Message Sent’. It explores individual perspectives around consent, including physical consent and non-consensual sharing of explicit images. The film also covers peer pressure, mental health, dignity and self-esteem, and the importance of looking out for your friends.
Post-Primary Units
Unit 1: Consent in Relationships
In this unit, pupils learn about what consent looks like in close personal relationships and how to recognise the differences between consent and control.
Unit 2: What Does Consent Mean and Why is it Important in a Healthy Relationship?
In this unit, pupils learn about the definition of consent, that a healthy relationship is based on mutual respect and trust, and how to recognise consent through use of words and body language.
Unit 3: Stereotypical Behaviour – The Impact on Consent
In this unit, pupils learn to recognise and safely challenge stereotypes, understand the impact of stereotypical behaviour on consent and explore issues around gender toxicity.
Unit 4: Male Privilege and Misogyny
In this unit, pupils learn what it means to be privileged, what male privilege looks like, the meaning of the term misogyny, and how to challenge male privilege and misogyny.
Unit 5: Consent in a Sexual Relationship
In this unit, pupils learn about consent and how it works in a healthy sexual relationship, including:
- responsibilities in establishing consent;
- capacity for giving consent; and
- strategies for coping with being pressurised into giving consent
Unit 6: Consequences of Non-Consent in a Sexual Relationship
In this unit, pupils learn to understand definitions of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexual coercion, and explore common rape myths. They also learn to understand the consequences of non-consensual sexual activity for both the victim and the perpetrator, and learn where victims can seek help, advice and support.
Post-Primary Links
Here are some links that we think are particularly useful for this topic:
Aimed at Key Stage 3 pupils with severe learning difficulties, our resource helps pupils to identify the body parts that are good, okay and bad for other people to touch.