Format · Full interactive lesson
C6
Helping Safely: Friends, Privacy and Trusted Adults
You will learn to
- Choose safe friend-support actions.
- Explain why absolute secrecy and family mediation are unsafe.
- Understand the difference between privacy and necessary safeguarding sharing at a basic level.
Book and story connection
A friend-support role inspired by the book leads to a new case.
Important: fiction creates safe distance and insight. It is not evidence of prevalence.
Teacher View · unique guidance for C6
Audience, time and preparation
Prepare
Audience: Core, ages 13–15. Learner time 50–60 minutes; facilitated time may include discussion and pauses.
Prior learning: Foundation choice, evidence and safer-help principles.
Resources: This online lesson, a projector or individual device, optional printed scenario cards, a private question route and the current Help page. Every selection activity has a non-drag alternative.
Before you teach: Establish a no-disclosure climate, confirm the school safeguarding route and DSL readiness, explain confidentiality boundaries, and ensure nobody contacts or mediates with family where forced-marriage risk is suspected.
Teach
Purpose: Teach privacy, confidentiality limits and safe friend action without turning reporting into a simplistic moral test.
Opening baseline: What helps first?
Ask: Who needs to know, for what safety purpose?
Listen for: Listening, honesty, proportionate sharing and specialist help.
Four distinct activities: baseline, explanatory teaching, application practice, changed-information reassessment and novel transfer.
Respond
Misconception: A good friend promises secrecy or contacts family.
Explanatory correction: Explain the difference between privacy, gossip and necessary safeguarding sharing.
Protect
Safeguarding: No promise of anonymity the school cannot guarantee.
Avoid: Teaching pupils professional thresholds.
Disclosure response: Thank you for telling me. I’m going to take what you’ve said seriously. I can’t promise secrecy if somebody may be unsafe. I will share only with people who need to help keep you safe.
Adapt & assess
SEND/EAL and reduced-text: Use a need-to-know map with clear role labels.
Stretch: Ask what information is necessary and what should remain private.
Evidence of learning: Deep learners explain why role and changed urgency affect sharing.
Assessment: Emerging identifies relevant ideas; Secure applies evidence and safer help with a reason; Deep acknowledges ambiguity and revises proportionately.