Relational and sex education in the third grade of secondary education: what and how?

Although students are generally quite satisfied with their relational and sexual education, we received a lot of suggestions for improvement.

Students want sexual education to be given more frequently and comprehensively in schools; they would be fine with it being covered every year. Many students even want a separate module for relational and sexual education.

Currently, students feel there is a strong emphasis on biological aspects within sexual education and they feel there's a lack of information about relational and sexual aspects. Students also desire more in-depth information, such as details about LGBTQ+ relationships and information about organizations they can turn to for help (e.g., after experiences of inappropriate behavior).

Regarding teaching methods, students would like sexual education to take place in a safe environment with a teacher who is comfortable discussing this topic. Having an external educator is definitely an option if the teacher would rather not cover this subject. Students also want their (anonymous) questions to be addressed during the lessons, and they prefer the teaching material to be as lifelike as possible: videos over images, photos over drawings.

This feedback was taken into account during the development of this curriculum. The survey results and potential teaching methods can be found below.