As schools’ transition to the new RSE curriculum, ClickView puts spotlight on Relationships & Sex education, with the launch of Respectful Relationships series  

Recently grabbing headlines, the role of sex education that’s equipped for the digital age we live in has come under scrutiny. The recent decision taken by the AQA exam board to stop linking Zoella content as part of a GSCE media studies course, has got a lot of people talking about when is the right time to have open and honest conversations about sex. 

The discussion is a timely one, as schools are currently transitioning to a new Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum, which is compulsory to have in place by the start of the summer term 2021. 

In addition to the curriculum changes, ongoing lockdown measures and remote learning has led to children spending more time than ever online to stay connected. With increased usage comes increased risk, as relationships rely more than ever on digital platforms. 

Putting the spotlight on relationships and sex education, why’s it so important? 

• People of all ages are spending more time online at the hands of COVID-19, with three pornography sites now among the top 10 most visited websites in the world – ahead of Amazon, Netflix and eBay.  
• Children and young people who watch pornography or sexually explicit content are at greater risk of developing unrealistic attitudes about sex, consent, body image and identities in relationships (NSPCC 2020) 

As one of the world’s foremost providers of video based digital curriculum., ClickView are passionate about supporting educators with tools and resources to complement their teaching and learning strategies. The new curriculum covers some sensitive topics and ClickView has launched two ‘Respectful Relationships series to help educators deliver with confidence. 

Designed for senior secondary students and their teachers, resources are available free for a limited time. The series explores challenging and important issues surrounding respectful relationships, including sexual harassment, domestic violence, misogyny in pornography, pornography versus reality, and the sharing of intimate images. 

The series has been created in collaboration with Relationship and Sex Education consultant at RAISE, Rebecca Jennings, who has been working with children and young people in educational settings teaching sex and relationships education (SRE) and sexual health initiatives for over 18 years.

With the understanding that sex and relationships are ever-evolving topics, Rebecca believes a well planned and executed RSE curriculum is key for the safety of our young people. As teens now live, learn, and socialise online, the series sets out to educate on important yet challenging pornography-related topics to teens. 

“If children have the correct information, they are more likely to make informed decisions based on the right messages,” says Jennings. “Sex and negative messages are everywhere. We need to be open and honest with children and try not to be embarrassed ourselves as educators.” 

Screen time is soaring as a result of lockdown, with potential exposure to pornography at an all-time high. From accidentally stumbling across pornographic content while doing their homework, to actively seeking it as a means of sexual gratification – or an attempt to educate themselves about sex – excessive exposure and access to pornographic material in young people is a growing problem. This is especially concerning when many young people do not have important education or context in place in order to make healthy decisions. 

“The new curriculum is so important for young people,” Jennings explains. “It allows them to talk about issues and topics in a safe space. Young people are exposed to so many mixed messages through the ever-changing online world. They need a safe space to make sense of it all.” 

In 2020, the UK’s revenge porn helpline saw cases surge*, with campaigners arguing that under-18s are more reluctant to report incidents of revenge porn citing barriers of fear and judgement. ClickView’s ‘Sharing intimate images’ gives the perspectives of all parties involved and includes the impact of non-consensual sharing of intimate images, privacy, sex shaming, revenge porn and victim blaming. 

Head of Production at ClickView, Edwina Baden-Powell, said – “In the intimate images episode, through the film dialogue and ‘real-life’ conversations between the actors and crew, it reinforces an important message about the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and the associated issues of sex-shaming and victim blaming. The series also covers misogyny in pornography, pornography addiction and pornography versus reality. Set on a pirate-themed film set, this series offers a fresh and humorous approach to what are often difficult topics to broach in the classroom.”  

As educators continue to deliver remote learning, more and more educational resources are being sourced online. Expertly created, contextual videos such as those produced by ClickView, will help educate students on sensitive and important topics like pornography, while supporting teachers with the highest quality and trusted resources for digital learning. 

Managing Director at ClickView UK, Michael Wilkinson commented – “Video helps make education more engaging, understandable and digestible.  

Michael continues – “ClickView is committed to providing resources educators need to deliver age-appropriate and evidence-based respectful relationships education. The series has been developed with subject experts to raise awareness of problematic behaviours among young people and create healthy attitudes towards sex and relationships.” 

Supporting over 5,000 schools, colleges and Universities around the world with online video learning content, ClickView’s latest series covers a wide range of topics from misogyny in pornography, to pornography versus ‘reality’, sharing intimate images online and pornography addiction, in four, ‘themed’ episodes:  

• Series 1 – Respectful Relationships 
• Series 2 – Respectful Intimate Relationships 

The series is supported by teacher guides created with the UK’s leading Relationships and Sex Consultant in schools, Rebecca Jennings, where she explores the ideas and issues raised and offers helpful teaching strategies for implementation. 

To support with the transition to the new PSHE Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum, ClickView has also put together a helpful downloadable guide for schools and educators. 

To browse the full range of resources, visit https://www.clickview.co.uk/free-teaching-resources/respectful-relationships/.  

To find out more, visit Clickview.co.uk.