Lesson plan

• N/A

We are learning about:

• How consent can be communicated
• The law in relation to consent

• N/A

We will be able to:

• Explain what sexual consent is
• Identify when consent has been given, not given or withdrawn

• N/A

• Ask students to write down their response to the below character statement.
  • “I’ve heard a lot of stuff about consent recently but I don’t really get it? What does it
    mean? How do you know if someone’s consenting?”

• No feedback is necessary here – the students will be able to reflect on their response at the end of the lesson.

• Explain to the class that you are about to play a 5.5 minute video with 2 doctors
• After the video, students will be asked to complete a quiz
• If students have any questions they should write them down and put them in the anonymous questions box

• N/A

• Play the ‘Consent’ video

• Be sure to watch the video prior to the lesson.
• You should assess the video for suitability and appropriateness to your specific class and that the content aligns with all school policies.

Plus:
This lesson discusses sexual assault and rape. Be aware of any students who may need more support if they have experienced issues discussed in this lesson.

Statistics discussed in the video:

• The video mentions that 1 in 10 women have been sexually assaulted. More recent statistics from Rape Crisis state “1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted since the age of 16”.
• The video does not quote statistics relating to men. According to Rape Crisis “1 in 18 men have been raped or sexually assaulted since the age of 16”.

• Go through the 6 question quiz
• Ask the question on the slide and give students a chance to write down their answer
• The next slide will show the correct answer
• You should read through the answers and any additional information as a class
• Students should make any corrections or additions in a different coloured pen

Students may query why the 2 doctors say they are less concerned about the example of two 15 year olds having consensual sex.

• That’s because, as doctors, they are concerned with the “health” of the 15 year olds and that 15 year olds are using suitable contraception.
• That’s why GPs and doctors at sexual health clinics can be great to talk to. The doctors are not there to judge you or tell the police – they are there to help you.
• However! A reminder – it’s still illegal in the UK to have sex if either of you are under the age of 16

• Ask students to write the number of each scenario onto a sticky note
• They should decide if the scenario fits the category:
  • Consent given
  • Consent not given
  • Consent withdrawn
• They should come up to the board and place the sticky note on the category they have chosen.
• After a few minutes, discuss the choices the students have made.

1. Anya is kissing her partner and they ask Anya if she wants to have sex, Anya smiles and says “yes” she does want to. Anya seems happy about the decision.
2. Mo and his partner are having sex, but Mo wonders if the condom is interfering with how sex feels. He asks his partner if he can take the condom off and his partner reminds them that they said they’d use one until they both got an STI check. They agree to continue having sex with the condom on.
3. Sita has been seeing their boyfriend for a while, they’ve been making out and their boyfriend starts trying to put his hand in their trousers, Sita pulls back and looks unsure.
4. Lochlan and Haylie are married, while they’re cuddling Haylie says she’s feeling a bit ill and doesn’t want to have sex today.
5. After a really great date, Cam goes to their partner’s home. During the date they talked about having sex afterwards and Cam had really felt up to it. Now Cam’s not sure. Cam tells their partner and suggests doing something else for a bit.

Guidance on scenarios:

1. Consent given: emphasise the enthusiastic yes and the verbal and non-verbal aspects.
2. Consent has been given to continue having sex, but not to remove the condom.
   Depending on the needs of the students this can be an opportunity to mention the law around “stealthing”.
   Stealthing is when someone removes a condom during sex without the other person’s consent or lies about having put one on in the first place.
   Stealthing is illegal and can be prosecuted as rape in the UK.
   For more info – see the optional reading list on slide 2.
3. Consent not given – consenting to one thing does not mean consenting to everything. Emphasise the nonverbal nature of this – i.e.that Sita looks unsure.
4. Consent not given – emphasise that marriage or relationship status does not mean that consent is automatically given.
5. Consent withdrawn – emphasise that consent seeking is an active and ongoing process, people can change their mind and this needs to be respected.

• Ask students to suggest ways that a person might demonstrate, verbally or nonverbally that they:
  • Give consent
  • Do not give consent
  • Withdraw their consent
• They should write these suggestions on sticky notes and add them to the categories on the board.
• After a few minutes, feedback the suggestions to the class.

Answers could include:

• Consent given
  • Words of agreement e.g. ‘Yes’, ‘I’m sure’, ‘I want to’
  • Participation cues e.g. ‘Keep doing that’
  • Positive body language e.g. smiling, nodding
  • The person is “in the moment” e.g. looking at you and engaged, not looking elsewhere
• Consent not given
  • Words of disagreement e.g. ‘No’, “stop”, ‘I’m not sure’, ‘I don’t want to’
  • Sounds or words of pain or discomfort
  • Silence – this could indicate discomfort or uncertainty
  • The person is avoiding the situation i.e. turning head away, pushing away
  • Negative body language e.g. feeling tense, crossing arms
• Consent withdrawn
  • Words of retraction e.g. ‘I’ve changed my mind’, ‘I’m not sure anymore’
  • Sounds or words of pain or discomfort
  • Change of topic e.g. they changed the subject or suggested a different activity

Important: If the person is unconscious or incapacitated from substances like alcohol or other drugs, they cannot consent.

• Ask students to create a story board or comic strip showing a positive example of someone asking for consent.
• Alternative option – explain that they can show an example in which someone does give their consent or a situation in which they do not, but that they should show these decisions being respected.
• Ask students to include specific considerations of the verbal and non-verbal signs someone might give if they were giving or not giving consent.

• Option for students who require further support: Ask students to take one of the situations from core activity two and to storyboard that – again showing a respectful and positive outcome

• Ask pupils to revisit their response to the character statement from the baseline activity.
• They should make any changes or add any new learning in a different colour pen.

• N/A

• The students will now need their final assessment sheet from last lesson
• Ask students to complete the statements on their final assessment worksheet in the ‘Before the lesson’ column. i.e. for:
  • Before the lesson, I thought…
  • Before the lesson, I knew…
  • Before the lesson, I believed…

• N/A

• Answer the questions collected during the lesson from the anonymous question box

• You may wish to answer the questions in the question box at the start of the next lesson once you’ve had a chance to review them.
• If there are no questions then you could suggest a couple of questions e.g.
  • Q) What about if I’m in a relationship with the person?
    A) It doesn’t matter if it’s a new partner or someone you’ve been with for years. You must both consent each and every time sexual activity happens.
  • Q) What if it isn’t obvious if someone is consenting?
    A) Remember consenting can be made with both verbal and non verbal cues but if you’re not sure, you need to ask. If you are still not sure – assume consent is not given.
  • Q) Is consent just about the physical acts of sex?
    A) No. Sexual abuse can involve no physical contact – like:
    • sharing explicit images without permission
    • upskirting – taking a photo under someone’s clothes without their knowledge
    • cyber flashing – sharing explicit images of yourself with someone who hasn’t agreed to see it

• Ask students to return to their ‘Final assessment’ sheet
• Ask students to complete the statements in the ‘After the lesson’ column beginning:
  • After the lesson, I think…
  • After the lesson, I know…
  • After the lesson, I believe…

• You may wish to collect the ‘Final assessment’ sheets (or for students to keep them safe) for assessment of learning.

• Give each student a copy of the Consent fact sheet
• Ask students to read through the fact sheet at home – it can help clarify any questions from the lesson
• Tell students they can read more about the topics discussed today. Useful websites are listed on the fact sheet

• N/A