sexuaility education programme

Information on Sexuality Education Programme

MOE’s Sexuality Education in Schools

1. Sexuality education is an important programme in our schools. It aims to help our young understand the physiological, social and emotional changes they experience as they mature, develop healthy relationships with the opposite sex and to teach them how to make responsible choices. It is premised on the importance of the heterosexual married family as the basic unit of society, and respect for the values and beliefs of the different ethnic and religious communities on sexuality issues.

2. The goals of SEd are to:

provide accurate and adequate knowledge on human sexuality and the consequences of sexual activity so that pupils are able to make informed decisions;
impart intra- and inter-personal skills of problem-solving, decision-making and effective communication so that pupils are able to build responsible and rewarding relationships; and
inculcate positive values and attitudes of sexuality so that pupils develop a respect for themselves and others as sexual beings, in line with the national value of the family as the basic unit of society.

3. The key messages of SEd are:
    (i) Build healthy futures for yourself, family and society.
    (ii) Healthy relationships based on love and respect are the foundation for strong families.
    (iii) Casual sex can lead to unwanted pregnancies, STIs/HIV and AIDS which can harm and hurt your loved ones.

You may click here for more information on MOE’s Sexuality Education.

Overview of Woodlands Secondary School Sexuality Education Programme for 2010

4. Sexuality education in schools is taught in both the formal curriculum and co-curricular programmes. These are covered under four main themes: Human Development, Interpersonal Relationships, Sexual Health and Behaviour, and, Societal Influences.

Formal Curriculum

5. The curricular subjects in which topics on sexuality are incorporated include

i. Science
ii Civics and Moral Education

Co-Curricular Programmes

Growing Years (GY) Programme:

i “The Teenage Years” (Lower Sec) package
ii “Sense & Sexuality” (Upper Sec) package

6. The values and attitudes of our youth towards sexuality are increasingly being shaped by their peers, exposure to the media, popular culture and the internet. Adolescence is a complex stage in life as the adolescent attempts to find his/her own identity and often struggles with new social relationships. The period of middle adolescence (generally from 15 – 17 years old) can be a turbulent period for adolescents. The gap between physical and emotional/cognitive maturity may result in a tendency to act on impulse, experiment with various activities (including sexual activities), sometimes without understanding the unpleasant consequences that may arise from such experimentation. The need for peer acceptance can be overwhelmingly strong, and hinder one’s ability to act responsibly. Given the pressures faced by the middle adolescent from within themselves and from peers, it is important to build a strong sense of self-worth, personal convictions and an understanding of the possible consequences of sexual behaviour.

7. Through “The Teenage Years” and “Sense & Sexuality”, secondary students will have opportunity to develop a positive self esteem, build their character, expand their understanding and repertoire of skills to deal with various issues related to sexuality, which are of prime concern at this age.

8. At Woodlands Secondary School the following lessons from the GY series is covered:

Target Levels	Topics/Lessons	What pupils will learn:	Time Period
Sec 1	Healthy Relationships with the Opposite Sex	The values important for building healthy relationships.	Term 2
	Puberty	How puberty affects them physically as well as emotionally and how to deal with them.	Term 2
	Teenage Pregnancy and the Legal Aspects	The consequences of teenage pregnancy. The legal implications of underage sex.	Term 2
Sec 2	Going Steady, Temptation and Public Displays of Affection	What a steady relationship means and the commitment that it involves. What are appropriate and inappropriate public displays of affection and behaviour in our society. Appropriate dress sense and understand how one’s physical presentation can be interpreted differently by various people.	Term 3
	Consequences of Premarital Sex	Social and emotional consequences of premarital sex on the individual, their partner and their families.	Term 3
	Pornography	Definition of pornography and its effects on the social emotional development of an individual.	Term 3
Sec 3	HPB Breaking Down Barriers Programme 1. Responsible Decision Making	Consequences in any decision they make regarding sexual intercourse. Decision-making is a process that can be learnt. It is important to have correct and accurate information to make the right decisions regarding one’s sexual health. How to make decisions that will reduce the risk to their sexual health.	Term 2
	2. Assertiveness	What is assertive behaviour. How can one respond to persuasion assertively.	Term 2
	3. Negotiation	How to negotiate one’s way out of a negative situation by applying skills learnt from Lesson 2. Assessing situations to aid the control of impulses in sexual behaviour. Revision of risk reduction for STIs/HIV (learnt earlier in mass lecture).	Term 2
Sec 4/5NA	Consequences of Premarital Sex	Students will learn the consequences of premarital sex	Term 2
Sec 4/5NA	Pondering about Sex	Common misconceptions regarding sex and STIs.	Term 2
Sec 4NA/NT	Temptations of Sexual Intimacy	Students will be made aware of the temptations of sexual intimacy	Term 2/3
	Misconceptions about sex	Common misconceptions regarding sex and STIs
	Dealing with the Past	Understand the implications of making bad decisions

Breaking Down Barriers (BDB) Programme

9. The Breaking Down Barriers (BDB) is a programme developed by Health Promotion Board, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education for all Sec 3 students. The programme focuses on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)/HIV education and aims to raise awareness of the modes of transmission of the different STIs/HIV, as well as the modes of protection. Students are taught skills such as decision-making, assertiveness and negotiation in order to say no to sex and negative peer pressure. Abstinence as the best option for teens remains a key message.

At Woodlands Secondary School , the BDB programme is implemented as follows:

Topics/Lessons	What pupils will learn:	Time Period
Mass Talk by HPB-appointed vendor	Awareness of the different STIs and HIV/AIDS Modes of transmission Modes of protection, specifically the use of condom	Term 2
Class-based Lesson 1: Decision-Making	Consequences in any decision they make regarding sexual intercourse Decision-making is a process that can be learnt It is important to have correct and accurate information to make the right decisions regarding one’s sexual health How to make decisions that will reduce the risk to their sexual health.	Term 2
Class-based Lesson 2: Assertiveness	What is assertive behaviour. How can one respond to persuasion assertively.	Term 2
Class-based Lesson 3: Negotiation	How to negotiate one’s way out of a negative situation by applying skills learnt from Lesson 2. Assessing situations to aid the control of impulses in sexual behaviour Revision of risk reduction for STIs/HIV (learnt earlier in mass lecture).	Term 2

10. INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

i.     Parents can opt their children out of the entire sexuality education programme or for individual topics, talks or workshops.
ii.    Parents who wish to opt their children out of the Growing Years Series need to complete an opt-out form. This form will be distributed to        parents at the start of the year and is also downloadable from the school’s website . A hardcopy of the form, duly completed and signed, is to
       be submitted to the school office by 05/02/2010 .
iii.   Parents who wish to opt their children out of the Breaking Down Barries Programme need to complete an opt-out form. This form will be        distributed to parents prior to the start of the programme and is also downloadable from the school’s website . A hardcopy of the form, duly
        completed and signed, is to be submitted to the school office by 05/02/2010 .
iv.   Parents can attend the sexuality education programmes by external providers with their children if they wish to. Parents should contact the
        school to make the necessary arrangements.
v.    For more information, please contact the school at 68494400 or wdl_ss@moe.edu.sg if you would like to discuss or seek clarifications about         our school’s sexuality education programme.

11. Talks and Workshops Conducted by External Providers

Name of External Provider:

Eka Training Group

Programme Title: I Know

Synopsis:

“I Know” is a programme developed especially for female students going through changes in their body due to puberty. In this programme, girls learn more about their bodies and the changes they are going through such as menstruation, hair and breast growth, pimples, etc.

Learning Objectives:

Students will learn more about the changes their bodies are going through.
They will learn more about menstruation, bodily changes
They will have their concerns and fears about their body during puberty and growing up addressed.

Date of Programme:

26th April 2010

Target Level:

Sec.1 girls

Format of Programme:

This is a 1-hour workshop for Sec.1 girls only. The programme is an interactive session with quizzes and a Question-and-Answer segment for the students to write down their questions about their bodily changes.

Duration for each segment:
10 mins: Highlighting issues and Trainer interaction with Audience
15 mins: Doing myth quiz
20 mins: Body Knowledge
15 mins: Passing it on

Opt-Out Form for Parents:

Parents who wish to opt out their children from this assembly talk have been given the Opt Out Form. The form, duly completed and signed, are to be submitted to the form teachers by 5 th February 2010.