The Week of the Spring Fever is a good start

One of the aims of the Week of the Spring Fever is to introduce schools to relationship and sexuality education. It is an enjoyable way and a good starting point for giving school-wide attention to relationships and sexuality. You will notice how enthusiastically pupils respond to the lessons and how worthwhile it is to teach about these topics.

The Week of the Spring Fever helps to give sustained attention

Many schools that have participated in the Week of the Spring Fever before use the project week to pay attention every year in each class to themes such as 'Resilience', 'Body and self-image' and 'Sex in the media'. In this way, the project week helps to ultimately give sustained attention to this topic and to give it a place in your school plan.

Relationship and sexuality education is particularly important in primary school

Children undergo sexual development from birth, even before they reach puberty. Young children already have questions about relationships and sexuality. Through relationship and sexuality education, the school connects with this development and supports children by providing them with accurate information and teaching them skills. This also helps children become familiar with these topics and see it as normal to communicate about them. They become aware of their own feelings and those of others, and learn that they are allowed to express their opinions, wishes and boundaries.

Through relationship and sexuality education, children develop into people who respect themselves and others. For example, they:

  • feel more comfortable asking questions about sexuality
  • develop norms and values regarding this topic
  • become more resilient and address each other about unwanted behaviour
  • learn to treat each other with respect
  • are able to make responsible choices in the area of relationships and sexuality.

Ultimately, sustained attention has more effect than ad hoc activities. Therefore, use the Week of the Spring Fever as a starting point for embedding relationship and sexuality education structurally. View the tips for maintaining attention to the topic.

Pupils with disabilities also undergo sexual development, have questions about sexuality and display sexual behaviour. View the information, tips and video on how to provide sexuality education to pupils with disabilities.

2021 theme: Sexual and gender diversity

Every year, we have a special theme for the Week. This year, it is 'sexual and gender diversity'. Research shows that 1 in 3 schools pay no attention to this topic. This is remarkable, because since 2012 all schools have been required to teach about sexual diversity. By choosing this topic as the theme for the Week of the Spring Fever, we hope to encourage all schools to pay attention to sexual and gender diversity. This way, every child can be themselves at school, and education contributes to a society in which everyone is accepted, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics. Read more about the theme and suggestions for the content of the lessons.