Positive Choices Study

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is offering Secondary school's in Leicestershire the opportunity to be involved in delivering (free of charge) and evaluating a new RSHE programme for secondary schools called Positive Choices which is delivered by the Sex Education Forum charity. This allows the school to ensure delivery aligns with new statutory requirements for RSHE as well as preventing gender-based harassment.

Full details and a sign-up form are attached below. If your school is keen to take part, the form should be signed by the school head, scanned and emailed back to me at chris.bonell@lshtm.ac.uk. A firm commitment and signed contract will be needed by the end of the autumn term.

However, as only five places remain, it would be very helpful if you could register your interest by Friday 3^rd December. I will then get in touch if you need any further information or have any questions. If you wish to discuss the project first, please call me on 07532 392 862 or email me at chris.bonell@lshtm.ac.uk.

Benefits for the school

Participating schools will have the opportunity to implement Positive Choices, an evidence-based programme which aims to promote healthy relationships and school engagement, improve health and prevent harassment and LGBTQI bullying.

Positive Choices ensures schools are implementing statutory RSHE and supports their broader duty to promote pupil social and emotional wellbeing and personal development.

Involvement also contributes to meeting Ofsted's requirement to communicate well with parents under the leadership and management judgement and helps address safeguarding requirements. The programme also aligns with the new recommendations from Ofsted about addressing gender-based harassment in schools.

Provision includes free training, lesson plans and learning resources.

Staff receive free, quality training in RSE delivered by England's leading authority on RSE, the Sex Education Forum, and full lesson plans and curriculum resources to implement the programme.

The programme is evaluated by Europe's leading public health institute, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

The evaluation offers students the chance to meet and work with leading public health scientists, some of whom have played a key role in scientific advice to government on Covid-19 and other major health issues.

Staff and student testimonies from the pilot study

"It's a go-to, one-stop solution, 'here you go . . . there's your SRE programme ready to go, you're going to hit all the new requirements' . . . It's going to tick all your boxes, it's here, it's there, it's ready."

(Teacher)

"It's definitely helped with confidence over lessons. I notice more people putting their hands up, more people actually wanting to talk about it and get involved."

(Year 9 female student)

"At first I was really nervous about teaching [RSE] and now I've actually asked for next year. I was like, 'Yes I'll have loads of year 9 classes, I'll do it again.' I loved it, it was great."

(Teacher)

"I think that it's like changed and improved morals within, like, the students within the school… Because it's more of an open thing that we talk about now. We just, like, know what's right and like how to deal with like situations and things, and it's something that's openly spoken about with students and it's not like a secretive or an uneducated thing anymore."

(Year 9 female students)

"I think it made me more aware of, um, kind of like my rights. Like makes me more aware of my rights in a relationship and just like what's acceptable and what's not acceptable."

(Year 9 female student)

Professor Chris Bonell

Associate Dean for Research

NIHR Senior Investigator

Faculty of Public Health & Policy

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Chris.bonell@lshtm.ac.uk

07532 392 862

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