TEENAGE PREGNANCY


Many teachers are unsure of tackling the subject


of pregnancy decision- making and abortion in the classroom. Laura Hurley from Education For Choice offers some advice


E


ducation for Choice (EFC) has 19 years’ experience of facilitating workshops and presentations in schools, pupil referral units and youth groups, giving thousands of young people the opportunity to learn about pregnancy decision-making and pregnancy


options and to explore the choices and decisions that lead to and result from unintended pregnancy.


Abortion as a ‘sensitive’ issue?


Many teachers who invite us into their schools to talk about abortion do so because they want to avoid delivering the subject themselves. It is often considered to be “sensitive” or “controversial” and therefore difficult to teach. The polarised public debates around abortion, its


appearance in soap storylines, and sensational tabloid headlines can understandably lead to anxiety about presenting the topic in a balanced and informative manner. Some teachers express concern that the topic may upset pupils who have themselves had experience of unplanned pregnancy or abortion. Unfortunately, this concern can mean that the topic


is either side-stepped completely or handed over to an outside speaker whose viewpoints may seek to stigmatise abortion. Paradoxically, the understanding of abortion as a sensitive topic can lead to the confusion and distress that educators are so eager to avoid.


Union address: ASCL The discipline debate


Brian Lightman cuts through some of the


speculation on how schools and teachers will use the new powers on discipline outlined in the recent Education Bill


IN THE Education Bill 2011, the government has given a very strong and welcome message about schools’ power to discipline, pledging its support to us by removing several obstacles that make the job of maintaining good behaviour more difficult. Young people and their parents need to know


that schools have a right to expect high standards and to apply sanctions where necessary. Teachers need to be supported by senior staff in dealing with poor behaviour, through clear policies that are consistently implemented across the school. They also need protection against malicious accusations by students, which can undermine their authority and the morale of the profession. The recent report by the Education Select


Committee correctly emphasised the importance of getting the curriculum right in this respect. We all know that an appropriate, broad curriculum that keeps pupils engaged is absolutely fundamental to good behaviour. Pupils causing low-level disruption are often


those who are bored or frustrated. However, even in those schools which have got all of this right there will sometimes be serious breaches of behaviour which need to be dealt with immediately. None of that means that schools are currently


in chaos. The vast majority are orderly places characterised by positive relationships between pupils and staff. Where serious incidents occur it is essential that schools are able to act promptly in the


secure knowledge that their actions are not going to be undermined by the law. This is why we support the new powers to search where there is a reasonable suspicion that items have been or will be used to cause offence, harm another pupil, or damage property. All staff will have examples of situations where


a pupil is being bullied by the use of malicious texts and instant messages. Although there are strong suspicions about who is responsible, the suspected pupil refuses to co-operate with investigations. This is just one case where the new powers of the Bill would make absolutely clear the school’s authority to deal swiftly and decisively with discipline issues. Recent media coverage has implied that the new


powers would lead to teachers regularly inspecting the contents of pupils’ mobile phones and interfering in some way with their privacy and human rights. This is nonsense. Teachers know that constructive relationships with students are the result of trust built up over a period of time. They would not jeopardise this or their careers by abusing search powers. Searching pupil possessions is something a


teacher or school leader would do rarely and in 99 per cent of cases with the consent of the pupil. These powers are designed to deal with the most


extreme cases. We will advise members to establish very clear protocols about how they use them, just as they have done with powers to restrain pupils. This is not about the regular day-to-day work of teachers and the relationships they have with their pupils. There have been suggestions that schools should


routinely involve the police in such cases. There are two problems with this approach. First, the police do not have the capacity to respond to calls which are not emergencies; second, such a course of action could lead to the criminalisation of young people in cases where a school’s internal disciplinary procedures would be much more reasonable. What is sometimes forgotten is that victims also


have rights. Allowing all pupils to learn in a safe and secure environment, even when they are located in some of the most challenging areas of the country, is a priority for all school leaders and they need the authority to be able to accomplish this. That is what the new search powers are about.


• Brian Lightman is general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders. Visit www.ascl.org.uk


Indeed, a few years ago the Independent Advisory


Group on Teenage Pregnancy said: “We are concerned that PSHE programmes very often avoid the subject and do not provide sufficient, evidence-based information about abortion, therefore leaving pregnant teenagers ill-equipped to assess abortion as an option.”


Why talk to young people about abortion?


When we ask this question of the nurses and teachers we train, they often answer “why not?” It is, after all, a real-life issue. A third of women in the UK will experience abortion


in their lifetime. In the UK each year, approximately 50,000 young people experience teenage pregnancy and


Talking about


‘the A word’


over 20,000 choose abortion. Young people need good quality information about their sexual and reproductive health in order to make informed choices. Good abortion education is also preventative. In


considering the issues that unintended pregnancy and abortion raise, young people are encouraged to think about the importance of safer sex and develop their motivation to use contraception. Conversely, misinformation about abortion (such as the myth that abortion causes infertility) can actually result in increased numbers of unintended pregnancies and repeat abortions. Abortion education helps students to learn


transferable skills such as distinguishing between facts and values, interpreting information and critically assessing it, as well as learning to acknowledge and respect a range of different views on a topic. Lastly, what we hear from professionals, and


witness in our own school workshops is that young people enjoy talking about this subject. They are eager to discuss something so often shrouded in stigma or silence. Amid the misleading soap storylines and confusing array of websites, once again school can be the place young people receive reliable, evidence-based information.


What to consider when teaching about


abortion Create a safe environment for discussion. Given the prevalence of both unplanned pregnancy and abortion, discussions should be sensitive to the fact that students may have had, or may go on to have experience of unintended pregnancy or abortion. This lesson may have a real impact on many


students’ future life choices so it is important that they have received impartial information on their options. Discussions about pregnancy need to present respect for differing positions and opinions.


How do I know I have the correct


information? As an educator you need to know the facts. But just as important is knowing where to source the facts. Google “abortion” and much of what comes up will be inaccurate, unscientific and biased. By doing some research and becoming familiar with reputable organisations which provide reliable, evidence-based information and resources everyone can have the basic knowledge required to lead a lesson on abortion.


How do I achieve ‘balance’ in the lesson?


Teachers are sometimes keen to set up a debate-style lesson on abortion as a way to engage pupils and provide balance. In fact, polarising the discussion in this way is not conducive to students’ learning. A balanced lesson approaches all pregnancy options neutrally and provides students with an opportunity to explore different views and values, as well as a chance to think about why and how abortion happens and how it could be prevented. Government guidance issued in 2000 said: “It is all


too easy to create a classroom debate in which pupils’ views become polarised and miss the purpose of Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) in preparing pupils for the responsibilities and challenges of adult life. When abortion is covered within a programme, the challenge is to offer young people the opportunity to explore the dilemmas, enable them to know and understand about abortion, and develop the communication skills to discuss it with parents and health professionals.”


12 What about external speakers?


Outside speakers can complement an SRE programme if they can provide accurate, up-to-date information or are able to shed light on a particular ethical perspective. When inviting speakers into school, it is important


to consider the purpose and scope of their visit. We speak to teachers who have chosen to invite anti- abortion organisations into their school to explain their views, but found that some speakers do not talk explicitly about their values, but simply present information which is grossly inaccurate, or seeks to stigmatise abortion as a choice and can upset pupils. The Sex Education Forum report External Visitors


and SRE, published last year, said: ”In some cases input from external visitors can be damaging, for example, if they do not provide accurate information. Cases have been reported of ‘anti-choice’ (anti-abortion) organisations providing school sessions that include factually incorrect information about abortion and use of inappropriately graphic material.” Young people rightly assume that visitors are there


to give an “expert view”. This gives the speaker credibility and lends weight to the information they give. Therefore it is important to take some time to research the speaker, and the organisation they are representing to make sure that the content of their presentation and teaching materials is evidence- based and avoids stigmatising individuals who have experience of any one of the pregnancy options.


Where to get more information, support


and resources So, where to get this evidence-based information and support. Well first off, a plug for EFC – we are a small organisation based in London but we can offer free support, advice and resources to teachers across the country – just drop us an email or check out our website. You can also download our Abortion Education Toolkit for free. Elsewhere, for up-to-date statistics on abortion see


the Department of Health and the Office of National Statistics. Reliable information can also be found on the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) website and from FPA (formally known as the Family Planning Association). The Sex Education Forum provides useful advice and


resources for SRE in general, and of course Brook is an established source of sexual health information for young people. Local sexual health and family planning clinics should also be able to provide information on where to signpost young people as well as relevant literature. SecEd


• Laura Hurley is a young people’s project worker with Education For Choice, based in north London.


Further information


• Education for Choice: www.efc.org.uk • EFC resources (including the Abortion Education Toolkit): www.efc.org.uk/Forprofessionals/ Resources


• The RCOG’s Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion report: http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog- corp/uploaded-files/NEBInducedAbortionfull.pdf


• Department of Health (recent abortion statistics): www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_ digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_116336.pdf


• The FPA: www.fpa.org.uk • The FPA ”find a clinic” tool: www.fpa.org.uk/ helpandadvice/findaclinic


• Brook: www.brook.org.uk • Sex Education Forum: www.ncb.org.uk/sef/


SecEd • February 24 2011


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