Healthy relationships are built on respect, trust and equality, whatever a child’s age. We teach children and young people to recognise the signs of both healthy and unhealthy behaviour — for example, feeling listened to and able to say no, compared with being controlled, isolated or made to feel afraid. We keep this age-appropriate: younger children explore kindness, respect and boundaries with friends and family, while older students explore consent, coercive control and online safety within their own relationships.

Our sessions are delivered by trained Equation facilitators, not classroom teachers. Feedback consistently shows that having a specialist in the room, someone separate from the everyday classroom relationship, helps students feel able to discuss sensitive topics openly. We also offer twilight training and briefings so teaching and pastoral staff can reinforce the learning and respond confidently if issues come up between sessions.

Follow your school’s usual safeguarding procedure. Our facilitators are trained to manage disclosures within the session, but the referral itself is always your school’s responsibility. It’s common, not unusual, to see more disclosures around this kind of work — our sessions are designed to open up conversations that a child may not otherwise have found the words for — and our facilitators will always let your safeguarding lead know before they leave the building.

Evidence shows that early intervention is one of the most effective ways to help prevent domestic abuse later in life. Children form ideas about relationships long before secondary school, so starting early — through our GREAT programme for Years 5 and 6 — gives them the language and confidence to recognise unhealthy behaviour and ask for help, well before patterns become established.

Relationships Education is statutory at primary level, and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is statutory at secondary level, as part of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE). Updated government guidance was published in July 2025 and comes into force from September 2026. Our programmes are designed to complement your existing RSHE curriculum, covering areas such as healthy relationships, consent and coercive control that schools are already expected to teach, rather than duplicating or replacing your own provision.

Parents can request that their child is withdrawn from sex education, but not from Relationships Education or Health Education, both of which are compulsory. As our programmes fall mainly within relationships and health education, most schools are not able to grant a withdrawal request, though it’s worth checking your own RSHE policy. We’re happy to send parents more detail about a session’s content if that would help reassure them.