Co-designing guidance for Relationships and Sex Education to ‘transform school cultures’ with young people in England

Abstract

Young people’s perspectives on the potentialities of and problems with Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England are well documented. This article shares insights from a co-design project conducted with young people and third-sector experts during 2020/21 which sought to identify and develop recommendations for schools regarding the design and delivery of critically informed RSE that engages with the realities and complexities of youth sociosexual life and development. The article discusses findings from workshops pertaining to how RSE can address the ‘ecosystem’ of young people’s sociosexual lives and development; judgment and shame within and beyond the classroom; safe, constructive, and inclusive teaching and learning; and inclusivity and cultural sensitivity. The challenges of designing and delivering safe, inclusive, and meaningful RSE for learners, that upholds and supports their development as sexual citizens, are acknowledged and addressed.