The project aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning about sexual health and provide access to school based sexual health services on site.
Themes
- To reduce risk taking behaviours of secondary aged pupils in North Yorkshire secondary mainstream schools
- Behaviours, emotional and social difficulties schools
- Pupil referral services
Locality
2010 every child matters-health related behaviour questionnaire data was used to identify five secondary schools across the county, together with pupil referral services and all behaviours, emotional and social difficulties schools:
- Where risk taking behaviours were highest;
- Awareness of sexual health services was low; and
- Pupils' perceptions of the usefulness of sex and relationships education, alcohol and drug education were low.
Aims
- Improving the quality of the personal, social, health education curriculum and teaching and learning within this;
- Improved referrals to targeted youth support, and access to targeted youth interventions on site;
- Access to school based sexual health services on site;
- Ensuring that key policies are fit for purpose and reflect the provision in the school, including referrals and access to services. (sex and relationships education and drugs policies); and
- Provision of training through locally delivered national personal, social and health education training programme (accredited through Roehampton University); school based bespoke PSHE training; smoking cessation training; and basic sexual health and condom distribution training.
Details
Outcomes so far
Personal, social and health education
All schools have participated in training to support the effective planning and delivery of the personal, social and health education curriculum. The majority of the schools/pupil referral services have conducted student voice activities to ensure the curriculum is meeting the needs of the students as well as using the data from the ECM-HRBQ questionnaire.
Targeted youth support
167 pupils have participated in targeted interventions from the project schools and pupil referral services (provided through youth support services and within the school). Targeted programmes have included making men, girls groups, life skills courses and "keep cool" sessions. This figure does not include generic youth sessions on school sites that have focussed on risk taking behaviour, therefore more young people have accessed this.
Sexual health services
Sexual health services provided by Compass are established in four schools/pupil referral services to date. Six schools can access sexual health services. Seven schools/pupil referral services have access to the condom distribution scheme alongside access to the sexual health services.
Smoking cessation services
All schools/pupil referral services have attended the smoking cessation training run in partnership with North Yorkshire Stop Smoking Service. All schools have implemented the service in their school/pupil referral service and the majority are actively engaged in supporting pupils around reducing or stopping their smoking.
Below are examples of the support and impact:
School 1
Support has been provided to the personal, social and health education co-ordinator to ensure a more planned and cohesive personal, social and health education provision - further developments are still being implemented.
The school has set up smoking cessation support for students.
The school provides an on-site sexual health service for students to access.
QuestionSchool 1 2012School 1 2010
Found school lessons about alcohol education quite or very useful44%31%
Found school lessons about drug education quite or very useful50%35%
Pupils who have smoked in the last seven days7%21%
Percentage who know where to get free condoms from70%63%
Percentage of pupils who report there is a sexual health service available locally40%32%
School 2
A sexual health drop-in has been introduced alongside support from the youth service who provide access to the condom distribution scheme.
QuestionSchool 2 2012School 2 2010
Percentage of pupils who know where to get free condoms
73% Year 10 boys
85%Year 10 girls
55% Year 10 boys
51% Year 10 girls
Found school lessons about drug education quite or very useful
44% of Year 10 boys
61% of Year 10 girls
17% of Year 10 boys
14% of Year 10 girls
School 3
Support has been provided to the personal, social and health education co-ordinator to ensure a more planned and cohesive personal, social and health education provision is in place for students - further developments are still being implemented.
QuestionSchool 3 2012School 3 2010
Found school lessons about alcohol education quite or very useful51%22%
Found school lessons about drug education quite or very useful56%28%
Found school lessons about sex and relationships education quite or very useful42%15%
Pupil Referral Service 1
The pupil referral service did a different version of the survey in 2010 so it is difficult to make direct comparisons but there are some positive comparisons compared to 2012 North Yorkshire average data.
Pupils have access to sexual health information and a sexual health nurse.
QuestionPRS 1 2012North Yorkshire 2012
Percentage who know where to get free condoms from79%45%
Percentage of pupils who report there is a sexual health service available locally37%22%
Pupils responded that they have heard of YorSexualHealth21%12%
Pupils responded that they have used a local sexual health service for young people.18%5%
Contact details
Carly Walker, strategy and commissioning manager
North Yorkshire County Council
Tel: 01609 536910
Email: carly.walker@northyorks.gov.uk
Katharine Bruce, lead adviser, wellbeing, quality and improvement
North Yorkshire County Council
Tel: 01609 535497
Email: katharine.bruce@northyorks.gov.uk
