Safety, respect and trust in intimate relationships
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the qualities of a healthy intimate relationship, describe unsafe or harmful behaviours, and explain where to get help and support.
Key learning points
- Healthy intimate relationships are built on mutual respect, trust and open communication.
- Consent is essential in all relationships; it must be freely given, enthusiastic and can be withdrawn at any time.
- Any behaviour that causes fear, pain, or restricts someone’s movement or breathing is unsafe and against the law.
- Everyone has the right to feel safe, respected and in control of what happens to their body.
- If a relationship feels unsafe or uncomfortable, support is always available from trusted adults or organisations.
Keywords
Respect - being considerate of others and the world around you; treating people fairly and how you would like to be treated
Trust - the confidence that someone will act in your best interest and be honest with you
Consent - everyone involved clearly agrees to sexual activity without pressure; it's freely given, can be withdrawn anytime, and requires understanding
Boundary - an imaginary line separating what we will and won't allow
Common misconception
Physical closeness means someone always cares about you.
Real care and affection never involve fear, pain or pressure. Any behaviour that makes a person feel scared, trapped or unable to breathe is unsafe and illegal, no matter the intention.
Teacher tip
Speak to your RSHE lead or DSL before teaching this lesson. Reinforce that pupils have the right to feel safe and can always seek help from trusted adults or organisations such as Childline.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sexual violence
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of sexual violence
Depiction or discussion of sexual violence
Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these is an example of someone respecting your boundaries?
Q2.If something in a relationship feels wrong or uncomfortable, you should speak to a adult.
Q3.What is a key sign that someone genuinely cares about you?
Q4.What does consent mean?
Q5.If someone stays silent when asked if they want to do something, does this mean they've given consent?
Q6.Match each scenario to whether consent is present or not present.
consent is present verbally
consent is not present verbally or non-verbally
consent is present verbally and non-verbally
consent is not present non-verbally
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In a healthy relationship, consent should be ...
Q2.What does it mean to respect someone in a relationship?
Q3.Trust means believing someone will be with you.
Q4.Match each situation to whether it shows a healthy or unhealthy relationship dynamic.
healthy relationship as boundaries respected
unhealthy relationship as no mutual respect
unhealthy relationship as boundaries not respected
healthy relationship as mutual respect
Q5.Any behaviour that causes fear, pain, or restricts someone’s movement or breathing is unsafe and ...
Q6.Fiona's friend tells her that their partner keeps pressuring them to do things they're uncomfortable with. What should Fiona suggest her friend does?
To help you plan your 10 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Safety, respect and trust in intimate relationships, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Safety, respect and trust in intimate relationships, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 RSHE (PSHE) lessons from the Healthy intimate relationships: What influences risky sexual behaviour? unit, dive into the full secondary RSHE (PSHE) curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.