‘Sex education should be as important as maths’: inside the radical new relationship workshops in London schools

At Charles Darwin School in Bromley, pupils from Miss Currie’s Year 8 drama class are acting out a performance piece about unhealthy relationships with the help of two facilitators from domestic abuse charity Tender. Tom, 12, playing the role of 18-year-old self-proclaimed “nice guy” Paul, asks Kadie, playing a girl in his class, if he can meet her 15-year-old cousin, Jasmine. “She’s hot, man. Introduce me to her,” he says, striding confidently around the classroom.

The friend protests, but Paul eventually gets an introduction, offering Jasmine a vodka and coke and telling her he’s taking her out on Saturday. “I’ll pick you up, keep Snap Maps on,” he says, referencing Snapchat, a teen photo-sharing app. “And wear something nice.”