Content of the SHARE programme
The main topics in SHARE, following a spiralling curriculum, are: physiology, relationships, typical experience of early sexual encounters, practical knowledge of contraception, parenthood and STDs, and skills for sexual negotiation, condom use and accessing local sexual health services (Table 1). Approximately one third of the curriculum was developed specifically for SHARE, one third comprises modifications of pre-existing exercises and one third was adopted from other packs . SHARE has all ten characteristics Kirby identified as necessary for effective programmes (Kirby, 1999).

Table 1: Topics in SHARE pack

Methods of the SHARE programme
All the SHARE lessons involve active learning, through small group work, discussions, quizzes, or, in one session, role playing. One session is based around a game, illustrating the transmission of STIs, and teachers are encouraged to use general games to energise the class or reduce tensions whenever appropriate. In the first year (Session 8) all pupils are given a leaflet to take home summarising the most important practical information on contraception and STIs. This is so that they have access to the information at the time relevant to them, in case they were not paying attention during their lessons. A folder with leaflets on different sexual health issues, including ones on gay and lesbian identity, is provided to each teacher to be leant to pupils in turn.

The skills based sessions are at the heart of SHARE and are what distinguish it most clearly from conventional sex education. In the first draft we relied primarily on role play exercises to develop negotiation skills, but soon found that both pupils and teachers find them very challenging to perform (Wight and Abraham, 2000). Consequently we introduced an 'interactive video', previously developed by Charles Abraham, to be used in four different sessions. In each a vignette of sexual negotiation is played out by actors, with several breaks in which pupils are asked to analyse the characters' behaviour and identify how best to handle the situation. These vignettes are designed to develop pupils' intentions, planning and self-efficacy in relation to specific aspects of sexual negotiation. They also provide scripts with which to deal with difficult sexual situations.

SHARE teacher training course
It is intended that all teachers delivering the SHARE pack should first undergo the five days SHARE teacher training course. This aims to enable teachers to implement the SHARE curriculum faithfully. There are three main objectives:

a) to make teachers more comfortable and confident to deliver sex education in general;

b) to prepare them to deliver the SHARE teaching pack, and

c) to improve their understanding of the theoretical rationale for the methods involved in this behavioural change programme.

The teacher training course was developed from more generic sex education training courses that the trainer, Hilary Dixon, had previously delivered to secondary school teachers throughout England over many years. The course was piloted in two stages, initially with 10 teachers from four different schools in 1994, and then, following modifications, with a further 15 teachers in 1995. Further minor changes were made in the light of this second pilot.

The training course is split into three modules, one prior to delivering the pack (two days), one after experiencing delivering the first few sessions (two days), and then a top-up day at the start of the second year. The components of each are interspersed with games to relax, integrate and energise the participants, and time is allowed to review learning. The final training day aims to address teachers' problems over the previous year, refresh their learning and motivation, and familiarise them with some of the later SHARE exercises.

The extent to which the teacher training course achieved its objectives during the SHARE trial has been evaluated (Wight and Buston, in press).

Kirby D. (1999) Sexuality and Sex Education at Home and School. Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews 10, No.2, June pp195-209.