Anna Goulding
Anisa Patel
Tanya Williams
Resources Portfolio
Anisa Patel
Topic: Sex Education
Resource Type: Worksheet
To assess the learning of students in science education, many teachers use worksheets as a form of
assessment to monitor the student’s progress. There are many worksheets which cover the different
aspects of KS3 sex education and the National curriculum. For this reason I felt it was important to
analyse such a key resource which will allow me to evaluate what is deemed important and which
aspects are not covered. For each of my resources there were approximately 6-22 worksheets. To
allow me to evaluate my criteria fairly it was essential I looked at all the worksheets from each
resource. Therefore I looked at two resources; exploring science worksheets for Year 7 (resource 1)
which is currently being used in some schools as a scheme of work for KS3 which were created in the
year 2002 and beaver educational resources (resource 2) created in the year 2000 aimed at the
same ages which is a general worksheet resource which can be downloaded online.
Criteria 1: Is it scientifically accurate and fulfilling of the National Curriculum?
Resource 1 tested students on nearly all different aspects of sex education. It followed the guidelines
of the National Curriculum (NC) quite well and linked the development of humans with sex
education in a consecutive order taking into account health issues related to having sex as required.
The range of worksheets consists of word searches, labelling diagrams, comprehension and
questions, agony aunt scenarios and more. The information which has been provided is straight to
the point and scientifically accurate.
Resource 2 follows the NC guidelines; however it does this quite briefly over one worksheet (ws11)
for linking development and sex education. However it does not take into account the health issues
related to this at any point of the worksheets that it provides. It also does not assess students using
key diagrams for e.g. women reproductive organs only looks at one dimension. Although the
information provided is scientifically accurate it still lacks the full extent of information which a Year
7 student should be assessed on.
Criteria 2: Is it non-prescriptive, and does it consider sexual diversity?
Resource 1 is prescriptive in a limited aspect as it only discusses heterosexuality and does not
mention anything about sexual diversity. This is an important issue as it does not take into account
homosexuals, which is one of the issues we are faced with, as a certain percentage of students will
be left feeling insecure and confused as they have not been educated about sexual diversity.
Resource 2, once again follows this trend and also disregard’s sexual diversity. This can be
understood as the worksheets try and link the stages of development of both male and females and
reproduction. These resources take the reproductive approach which is why this may not be
discussed.
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Criteria 3: Does it mention contraceptives and STIs?
Resource 1 starts by briefly explaining the pill and then leads onto STD’s and the different types and
whether they are curable or not. It then explains how condoms are used to prevent this as well,
which is quite good to understand at a basic level. The questions which are used to assess the
students have a nice easy approach and as one of the questions makes the student ‘think’ about
how they would manage with looking after a child at the age of 15, which also cognitively makes the
child aware that teenage pregnancy is not a positive decision.
Resource 2 does not mention this in any of the worksheets which is quite shocking, considering it is
quite an ongoing issue for the previous years and is one of the key points in the NC. This solidifies
that the worksheets have a strong reproductive approach to them.
Criteria 4: Does it mention abortion?
Resource 1 does not concentrate on the aspect of abortion. In my opinion, this is an important issue
which should be explained to students. Although contraception has been explained to students,
some will still make mistakes. It is very important that they are guided about abortion and the
decisions they can make if they do get pregnant.
Resource 2 also does not mention anything about abortion.
Criteria 5: Does it mention consent and communication?
Resource 1 does not actually mention anything about consent and communication. It guides
students in other concepts quite well, for example one worksheet concentrates more on typical
teenage dilemmas like ‘starting to grow underarm hair’ and ‘spots’.
Resource 2 also disregards having consent and communication with the partner in the worksheets.
This is an important issue as children should be informed about decision making in relationships.
Some students will not consider communicating to their partner before sex so both parties are
happy, as one party may feel as if they have to have sex as that is what couples do.
Conclusion
In conclusion the criterion has partially been met for exploring science which in my opinion is better
than beaver resource’s. However both do not really mention consent and communication, sexual
diversity and abortion in any way. Beaver resource’s is not that informative and also does not fulfil
most of the criteria. I feel that the reason for this is that it takes the reproductive approach which
teaches children that sex is only for reproduction purposes. However exploring science is advanced,
as it is flexible and takes the reproduction and pleasure approach. This is strongly highlighted in the
worksheet for contraception and STI’s. Overall, beaver resources also uses very basic cartoon
diagrams and does not deal with sex education in as much detail as exploring science. Exploring
science also uses cartoon diagrams but these are clearer and some have a 3D nature for students to
understand better. It is also important to note that these worksheets are over ten years old which
may be the cause for their basic approach.
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Resources
National Curriculum
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/secondary/b00198831/scien
ce/ks3/programme/opportunities, (last accessed 28/11/2013).
Resource 1: Exploring Science
Downloaded from portal which can be bought online:
http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/ ,(last accessed 28/11/2013).
Resource 2: Beaver resources
http://cbscience.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/7/1/10716575/ks3-wrksht.pdf , (last accessed
28/11/2013).
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Anisa Patel
Anna Goulding
Anisa Patel
Tanya Williams
Resources Portfolio
Anna Goulding
Topic: Sex Education
Resource Type: Video
There are videos to cover every area of sex education. For this reason, I have chosen to focus on one
aspect of sex education only: the biology of sex and fertilisation. I have chosen three videos to
compare. The first is a clip from the Channel 4 Sex Education Show, called “Who Does What, What
Goes Where?” This 6 minute clip contains a summary of some of the different types of sex that it is
possible to have. The second video is an 8 minute clip from Robert Winston’s 1998 programme The
Human Body, episode 1: An Everyday Miracle. The third video is a 22 minute section of Michael
Mosley’s 2011 programme Inside The Human Body, episode 1: Creation. Both the second and third
clips focus on the biology of fertilisation.
Criteria 1: Is it scientifically accurate and fulfilling of the National Curriculum?
Video 1 describes the process of arousal and sex in males and females in a scientifically accurate
way, but does not cover any of the national curriculum requirements of sex education.
Video 2 contains more of the national curriculum’s requirements at KS3 in that it describes the
process of fertilisation. It is not scientifically inaccurate, but some of the information is outdated
because it is now 15 years old. It is a good tool for teaching the biological side of sex because of the
memorable videos taken from inside the human body.
Video 3, similarly, achieves two of the requirements of the national curriculum at KS3: fertilisation
and how a foetus develops in the uterus. As it is much more recent, the science is much more up to
date. It is particularly interesting to note that it includes recent research about the active role of the
female in fertilisation, and does not depict fertilisation as a simple race-to-the-finish as many
sources do.
Criteria 2: Is it non-prescriptive, and does it consider sexual diversity?
Video 1 describes the process of many different kinds of sex without suggesting who should or
should not be doing each act. Anal sex is described in more detail because people of any sexuality
can have anal sex but information is harder to find. It explicitly mentions that there are a wide
variety of sexualities and sexual behaviours that it is possible to have and enjoy. It describes the
process and safety of types of sex that are more common for non-straight people, as well as vaginal
penetrative sex. It therefore provides sex education that is useful for many different groups of
people.
Video 2, being a scientific account of the process of fertilisation, is not explicitly prescriptive but also
describes the process of sex only in terms of becoming pregnant, which limits the definition of sex to
unprotected, penetrative sex of a vagina by a penis. It therefore is assumed all the way through that
we are discussing what happens only when a heterosexual couple has sex.
Video 3 has similar problems. Although it does not explicitly state what kind of sex people should be
having, the fact that it assumes from the start that sex is an act between a man and a woman that
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can result in a baby is prescriptive by limiting definitions. This demonstrates the limitations of the
strictly reproductive model typified by these videos.
Criteria 3: Does it mention contraceptives and STIs?
Video 1 discusses safer sex on more than one occasion, including mentioning that it is possible to
catch STIs from oral sex and mentioning safer sex options for vaginal, oral and anal sex.
Videos 2 and 3 never mention STIs or any methods of contraception.
Criteria 4: Does it mention abortion?
None of the videos mention abortion as an option.
Criteria 5: Does it mention consent and communication?
Video 1 describes the first step of arousal as sometimes including forms of communication, and it
describes the only limitations on sex as legality and consent. It does not, however, explain what
consent is or describe the process of consent.
Videos 2 and 3 both describe sex as a purely biological process. In both videos most of the images
are taken from inside a body, which very much limits the possibility of discussing consent and
communication.
Conclusion
For a description of the biological process of sex and fertilisation, video 3 is the best option. It shows
detailed animations of exactly what happens in the lead up to fertilisation, and as the foetus grows.
Video 2 is more succinct, and includes some very unusual and educational videos taken from inside
the human body as ovulation takes place. However, the information about the process of
fertilisation is a little outdated.
If the aim of showing these videos in class was purely to achieve the National Curriculum
requirements for sex education, video 3 would be a good choice. However, we were of the opinion
that sex education should be about more than the biology of heterosexual sex and fertilisation. Even
within the topic selected: the biology of sex, there is still plenty of scope to be both scientific and
accessible and useful to many groups of people. An excellent example of this is video 1. In this video
many different types of sex are discussed in a scientific and factual way, meaning that this video has
a lot of useful information to offer a diverse group of students. In order to provide students with the
information they need about fertilisation and also to give them useful information about whatever
type of sex they might one day do themselves it would be good to combine video 1 and video 3.
Extra resources would be required to discuss consent and communication.
The Videos
1:http://sexperienceuk.channel4.com/videos/7953%20Who%20Does%20What,%20What%20Goes%
20Where?
2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9BVDoQNQ5Y
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3:http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xuhcqk_inside-the-human-body-creation-1-4_tech
Links correct as of 17/11/13.
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Anna Goulding
Anna Goulding
Anisa Patel
Tanya Williams
Resources Portfolio
Tanya Williams
Topic: Sex Education
Resource Type: Websites
Introduction
I compared two internet sources against the criteria listed below. Websites are fundamental to today’s
education. The internet provides endless opportunities and knowledge that pupils can have access to.
The websites I chose are both focused on providing information for teenagers. The websites are
‘likeitis.org.uk (Website 1) and ‘brook.org.uk’ (Website 2). Website 1 focuses on providing information
for teenagers and website 2 specifically focuses on under 25s.The reason for choosing website 2 is that
it seemed to provide an extensive amount of information on the topic of sex. I chose to compare
website 2 with website 1, which in comparison seemed to provide a narrower range of information with
the information being presented in bullet point form.
Criteria 1: Is it scientifically accurate and fulfilling of the National Curriculum?
Website 1 describes the process of the menstrual cycle in a scientifically accurate way. A brief account is
provided on what happens at each stage of the cycle. Although not scientifically inaccurate, more
information and clearer explanations could be used. For example, the site states that hormones are
released from the brain. Although this is true for the initial stage of the cycle, the majority of hormones
involved are released from glands; therefore I think this piece of information should be included. The
website also provides scientifically accurate information on female and male’s external as well as
internal sexual organs. Both sources go through the emotional and physical changes involved in puberty.
However, website 2 focuses predominantly on advice and reassurance. There is little scientific content.
The most scientific section in website 2 is the A-Z section, however this is also not very scientific. For
example, the clitoris is describes as, “small, very sensitive area at the top of the vagina”. Both sources
partially cover the national curriculum but omit the process of fertilisation. In addition source 2 also
omits the menstrual cycle.
Criteria 2: Is it non- prescriptive and does it consider sexual diversity?
Both websites are non- prescriptive and consider sexual diversity to a certain extent. Website 1 provides
information on when sex is legal for both heterosexual and homosexual relationships. Although there is
no specific law about the age of consent for sex between two females, this is at least mentioned rather
than neglecting the option. Website 2 also provides the age of consent for hetro- and homo- sexual
relationships. Providing the age of consent implies that the websites do not just limit sex as an act
between the opposite sexes. Consequently, I think the websites are non- prescriptive by considering
sexual diversity. Website 1 provides definitions of oral sex occurring between homosexuals and
heterosexuals. In this way it again does not neglect homosexual relationships. Under contraception,
both websites mention condoms as not only providing protection from becoming pregnant but also for
preventing STIs. Therefore, both websites do not suggest the process of sex only in terms of becoming
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pregnant. The website does look into different sexualities, and focuses on the emotional side involved.
However the site does not look at other forms of sexual intercourse with same sex partners. When it
looks at the meaning of sex under the section of ‘doing it’, it only goes into the penetration of a penis
into the vagina. In addition there is only mention about sex being painful for a girl as the penis breaks
the hymen, and neglects the fact that anal sex can be painful for both heterosexuals as well as
homosexuals. In website 2 there is no emphasis to other types of sexual relationships other than sexual
relationships between heterosexuals. Even on the page dedicated to sexual identity it all focused on the
definitions rather than the emotions involved and the sexual relationships.
Criteria 3: Does it mention contraceptives and STIs?
Websites 1 and 2 both mention a range of contraceptives that both men and women can use. They
mention how some contraceptives can only protect you from unwanted pregnancies and some can help
prevent STIs as well as pregnancies. Information on how each contraceptive works and the emergency
contraceptive pill is also provided. The websites also mentions a range of STIs one may develop through
sexual contact. It goes through each STI, describing what it is, how can you tell if you’ve got it, and what
will clear it up.
Criteria 4: Does it include information on abortion?
Both websites provide a lot of information on abortion. Website 1 focuses solely on the emotions
involved in going through an abortion. In comparison website 2 provides information on emotions in
addition to how the procedure is carried out. Both websites provide the law regarding abortion.
Criteria 5: Does it mention consent and communication?
Both websites mention the age of consent for both hetro- and homo-sexual relationships. Both make it
clear that sex should be your choice and you should not be pressured in to it. Website 1 provides
information on how to help hesitant people communicate with others regarding sexual issues. The
websites both provide lots of useful websites and telephone numbers promoting that there is help and
advice out there, suggesting that there is a lot of ways with communicating with people who can provide
a lot of support.
Conclusion
In conclusion, analysing the sites have revealed that both websites are in fact quite similar, they both
focused predominantly on reassurance and the emotional side of beginning a sexual relationships and
emotions that are associated with going through puberty. Both websites have a limit on which they are
non- prescriptive and consider sexual diversity. Although initially I had thought website 2 provided
extensive information on the topic of sex, I now feel that website 1 slightly excelled website 2 because it
included a wider range of information, in particular having a wide range of science based knowledge
form the science curriculum which website 2 lacked. Ideally these sources should be used alongside
other sources so that a wider range of information can be looked upon.
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Resources
Website 1:
www.likeitis.org.uk
Website 2:
www.brook.org.uk
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Group Overview
Anna Goulding
In order to compare our resources, we gave each resource a mark out of five, for each of the criteria.
Each resource therefore gained a mark out of 25 for its overall effectiveness in meeting our criteria. The
table we used to rate our resources is attached as appendix 2. The highest was 21, achieved by the
likeitis.org.uk website. The lowest was three, given to the Beaver worksheet set. I will once again
consider the criteria individually, and identify the resource most suited to teaching that aspect of sex
education.
Criteria 1: Is it scientifically accurate and fulfilling of the National Curriculum?
As a bare minimum, a child’s sex education should be accurate, and should cover the National
Curriculum. Overall, our resources performed best in this category. This probably reflects the historical
tendency in sex education towards a reproductive model, which matches the requirements of the
national curriculum well. The resources particularly well suited to teaching scientifically accurate sex
education that meets curriculum requirements were the Exploring Science worksheets and the video by
Michael Mosley. These could perhaps be used in conjunction with one another to teach the topic.
Video 1 and website 2 were the lowest performing in this category, so they should not be relied upon to
teach the National Curriculum requirements.
Criteria 2: Is it non-prescriptive, and does it consider sexual diversity?
Our group is of the opinion that sex education should be for every member of the class, regardless of
their orientation, and that it should not be seen to judge some sexual activities better or worse. The
majority of the resources we looked at did not perform well in this criterion. The worksheets never
mention anything about sex for people who are not heterosexual. Similarly, two of the three video
resources limited their information to heterosexual couples only. This is a reflection of the reproductive
model of sex education that they subscribe to. Although this was a strength for the last criterion, a
purely reproductive model limits the scope for talking about other types of sexual activity that cannot
result in pregnancy.
The resources best suited to teaching sex education that is relevant to all students were video 1 and
website 1, both of which provide practical information for people of all sexualities.
Criteria 3: Does it mention contraceptives and STIs?
We were surprised at how many of the resources failed to mention STIs and contraception, which we
had assumed to be a mainstay of sex education. Worksheet set 2 and videos 2 and 3 did not mention
STIs and contraceptives at all. This is again likely to be the fault of the reproductive model they subscribe
to. In this model sex is solely about pregnancy, and so it is unnecessary to mention diseases or how to
prevent pregnancy.
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Although worksheet set 1 and video 1 both mention STIs and contraception, the best resource type for
this criterion were the websites. This is due to the size and scope of these resources, which provide
detailed practical information on a range of contraceptives and STIs.
Criteria 4: Does it mention abortion?
This is another area in which our resources performed extremely poorly, but that we believe to be an
important aspect of sex education. Only the websites provide any information at all about abortions,
and only website 2 provides any practical information, and not just information on the emotional
aspects of abortion.
Criteria 5: Does it mention consent and communication?
The majority of our resources also fail to mention our final criterion: consent and communication. We
believe that talking is a vital aspect of a healthy sex life and should therefore be covered in lessons. Our
resources demonstrate what a neglected area this is. None of the worksheets mentioned consent and
communication. One video mentioned communication as an aspect of sex, and the doctor also
mentioned consent as one of the only pre-requisites of sex. They didn’t, however, go into any detail or
mention the process of consent.
This is another area in which the websites outperformed the other resources. They mention consent as
a legal concept, as well as an aspect of day-to-day life in relationships. Likeitis.org.uk even gives practical
advice to help open up communication in relationships, and is therefore the most useful resource in this
area.
Conclusion
The majority of the resources we reviewed in this portfolio are heavily weighted towards the
reproductive model and this is reflected in the criteria they succeed and fail on. The National Curriculum
is similarly weighted towards the reproductive model, so it is relatively easy to find a variety of
resources that will fulfil these requirements. It is much harder to find resources that are accepting of
diversity, mention consent, communication, or unintended consequences of sex, including STIs and
abortion. This means that there are limited choices for teaching these areas using resources.
It is, however, also important to consider the role these resources play in the classroom. Worksheets
allow interactivity and enable the teacher to assess understanding. Therefore, even if they do not cover
all criteria, they are still useful. Videos can be engaging and may present information in memorable
ways, but there is no guarantee that the students are learning. They should therefore be selected
carefully to maximise usefulness. Websites could be used in the classroom for research exercises, as a
way to signpost students towards places they can find information when they need it in the future.
A lot of the topics we would like discussed in sex education could easily be covered in class or pair
discussion, not necessarily requiring resources. This approach has the added benefit of allowing
students to voice questions or opinions.
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We would advocate a mixed approach, using videos 1 and 3 to introduce ideas and concepts, website 1
to teach students how to find their own information, and worksheet set 1 to assess understanding. All of
these resources should be underpinned by plenty of class discussion to ensure all aspects of sex
education are covered.
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Appendix 1: Meeting Records Transcribed by Tanya Williams
Record of meetings
(Mon 4th Nov) Meeting 1: First general meeting
This was a general meeting in which we decided the choice of topic, the type of source to be allocated to
each person, as well as discussing the criteria in which we were choosing to analyse our sources against.
Topic: Sex education
Allocated sources:
 Anna Goulding: Videos
 Anisa Patel: Worksheets
 Tanya Williams: Websites
To transcribe minutes: Tanya
To write group overview: Anna
Criteria: (5 criteria to be discussed)
 Is the source non- prescriptive?
 Does it consider sexual diversity?
 Does it mention STI’s and contraception?
 Does it mention abortion?
 Does it mention consent and communication?
Scheduled meeting 2: Mon 11th Nov
(Mon 11th Nov) Meeting 2: Source evaluation



Each person bought in their chosen sources to share with the group
Each group member put their ideas forward on how to progress
After looking at the sources we found that the criteria ‘is non- prescriptive?’ and ‘does it
consider sexual diversity?’ slightly overlap thus decided to make this in to one criteria
Scheduled meeting 3: Mon 18th Nov
(Mon 18th Nov)Meeting 3: General meeting
 Discussed any issues we had regarding our individual sources and criteria
 Looked at progress made so far
 Discussed have a first draft ready by Friday 25th November.
Discussion regarding criteria: Decision to include the criteria; is it scientifically accurate and fulfilling of
the National Curriculum?
Final criteria:

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Criteria 1: Is it scientifically accurate and fulfilling of the national curriculum?
Appendices
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Anisa Patel
Tanya Williams
 Is the source non- prescriptive and does it include sexual diversity?
 Does it mention STI’s and contraception?
 Does it mention abortion?
 Does it mention consent and communication?
Scheduled meeting 4: Mon 25th Nov
(Mon 25th Nov) Meeting 4- Final meeting

Looked over all our final pieces of work as a group to ensure all pieces of work were coherent
with one another. Anisa was allocated to make the layout the same for the final version.
Emails
Below are a few examples of our email communication.
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Appendix 2: Evaluation Table
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
Total
Scientifically
accurate and
fulfilling NC
Nonprescriptive
and sexually
diverse
Contraceptives
and STIs
Abortion Consent and
communication
Worksheet set
1- Exploring
Science
5
0
4
0
0
9
2 – Beaver
Resources
3
0
0
0
0
3
Video 1- Sex
Education
Show
2
5
4
0
3
14
2- Robert
Winston’s ‘The
Human Body’
4
0
0
0
0
4
3- Michael
Mosely’s
‘Inside the
Human Body’
5
0
0
0
0
5
Website 1likeitis.org.uk
4
4
5
4
4
21
2Brook.org.uk
2
3
4
5
4
18
25
12
17
9
11
Total
16
Appendices