Before half term students in the Sixth Form were visited by Emma Cole from 'Positive Voice' who spoke to them about HIV awareness, consent and relationships.  

'Informative', 'Inspiring' and 'Well pitched' were some of the comments made by Sixth Form pupils as they thanked Emma on their exit for the Grignon Hall on Thursday 9 February. 

Emma Cole, who has visited Felsted on a few occasions through the years now, returned to speak to our pupils about HIV, safe sex and moral awareness in relationships. She captured the attention of a full audience for 40 minutes with her story, and then encouraged pupils to ask questions about HIV, or other relevant material explored in her talk. Even after an energetic and informative Q&A session, pupils left the talk with a desire to find out more about this topic. 

Pupils have been studying Relationships and Sex Ed in their PSHE lessons this term and this talk has inspired many pupils to think critically about their place in society and also reflect on the choices they make along with the impact that activism and raising awareness can have. One student said: 'I thought HIV was something from an age ago, but now I am more aware of this and it was interesting to hear about the medical advances surrounding it - especially given the heightened awareness in this field as a result of the recent pandemic'. Another said: 'I liked the way Emma was able to communicate so openly, relaying a wealth of experiences - not just about sex, but about family relationships and her relationship with herself'. These reviews were some of many demonstrating the impact Emma had through her talk.

Felstedians are encouraged to reflect, engage and question with empathy and purpose. This is something we are developing through our Sixth Form PSHE provision.