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Condoms for Beginners

I'm sure many a PSHE teacher has felt daunted by this task, with so many differing styles and practical workshops used over the years to get the message home. For the lucky and more affluent institutions, you can just employ some external agency and wipe your your hands of it for the day, but for others, it a necessary part of sexual health education and you're the one who has to deliver it.

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PSHE is a subject that has rarely been delivered by someone who feels qualified in the subject, its usually a role that is passed on to the PE teacher or biology teacher or someone who has a passion in the subject, but rarely feels prepared.

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We would love to hear from you if you have a strategy or a resource you've created to deliver this subject, for others this handout may bring some humour to the subject whilst offering useful guidance.

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There are differing styles and strategies to teach condom use, the biggest objection which I have come across many times being if you teach them it, then they'll do it.

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I used to dismiss this as an argument until a pupil right out of the blue one day said to me, 'Well if you teach us it, we're going to want to do it aren't we!'

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Its a difficult square to circle, tell them nothing and unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections go up, teach them something, and you possible give way to the very problem you are trying to resolve.

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Either way, my belief is its better to give young people an informed choice, than sending them out into the world unprepared. But we at least cover the basics in any session on condom use.

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Whilst having sex under the age of sixteen is illegal, It's not illegal to buy condoms under the age of sixteen. Many young people are confused between the two and this is the reason why they don't purchase protection.

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Give an overview of the structure of a condom and prepare the class for what they're going to feel like if you intend to give them out in class. If a young person's first experience of a condom is disgust, they're likely never to use one, as with anything, preparing them for the experience can lessen the blow. 

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Make sure they understand that oil based lubricants such as Vaseline, will degrade the condom and cause it to split, only used water-based lubricants such as KY Jelly.

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Squeeze out the air at the end of the condom, the part which is designed to catch the sperm, before you put the condom on. Leaving air in the end can cause the condom to split, come off, or allow sperm to leak after ejaculation.

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A condom must only be placed on an erect penis just before sex, there are many young people think that you put them on before you go out just in case you have sex, they won't admit it, but it is our job to anticipate any myth that comes with condoms.

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