School pupils to be taught strangling during sex is illegal in new lessons
Teenagers will be taught that strangling or suffocating someone during sex could be an imprisonable offence in new sexual education lessons.
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The warning forms part of materials for Government-backed lessons for 14- to 15-year-olds that schools can use to teach the updated Relationships, Sex and Health (RSHE) curriculum when new statutory guidance comes into force in September.
Oak National Academy – an arm ’s-length body to help schools deliver curriculum content – developed the lessons “amid growing concern about the normalisation of choking” among young people.
The academy said it will help teachers tackle the “growing influence of the manosphere and incel culture” in classrooms.
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They will also teach pupils not to assume “blanket consent” during sex, stress the importance of setting boundaries with a partner and support teenagers to recognise toxic behaviours in relationships – including phone snooping and gaslighting.
It is a criminal offence to intentionally strangle or suffocate another person and someone who is convicted of the crime could face up to five years in prison.
There is a defence in law if an accused can show that an alleged victim consented to strangulation or any other act that affects the ability to breathe, but this defence does not apply if the victim suffers serious harm, or the accused intended to cause serious harm, or was reckless as to whether the victim would suffer serious harm.
The new lessons will make clear to pupils that they cannot rely on consent as a defence.
Schools minister Georgia Gould said: “Misogynistic views are not innate, they are learned, and we are using every possible tool to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls.
"From this September, every school will be required to teach our new RSHE guidance – helping challenge and tackle harmful myths and behaviours early.
"Oak National Academy’s new resources mean teachers have everything they need to have these conversations safely, confidently, and with the support of high-quality, expert-backed materials."
John Roberts, chief executive of Oak, said: “We can’t run from difficult topics, otherwise young people are left to navigate them alone.
"The new RSHE guidance will bring a lot of sensitive discussions into classrooms. That’s a good thing.
"Teachers are well placed to hold these conversations safely and productively. But they need support to do it well."