Call for release of ‘sex choking' lesson slides as council insists claims misleading
THE WELSH CONSERVATIVE have intensified pressure on Bridgend County Borough Council over reports that pupils were taught about 'sexual choking' during PSHE lessons—despite the council's insistence that the claims are based on outdated and inaccurate materials.
Shadow Education Cabinet Secretary Natasha Asghar MS has now written to the leader of the council requesting copies of both the original and updated versions of a PowerPoint presentation developed by domestic abuse charity ASSIA, which was used during a single session in one Bridgend school in 2024.
Ms Asghar said: 'I remain appalled that anyone involved in educating our children would consider including references to such a dangerous and risky act in educational materials.
'There appears to have been no attempt to explain the risks associated with choking, but merely a focus on ensuring the act is consensual. The leadership of Bridgend Council claims they requested that this presentation be altered before being shown to pupils. However, this does not disguise the fact that those responsible for creating the content initially deemed it appropriate.
'I am requesting both versions of the presentation be made available to me, and I am calling on Bridgend Council to reconsider their relationship with ASSIA. It is clear that by even considering the inclusion of such shocking content, their values do not align with what most decent people would reasonably expect to be taught in our schools.'
Council: Claims based on misinformation
Bridgend County Borough Council has pushed back strongly against what it calls 'a classic example of how misinformation can generate headlines.' It insists that pupils were not taught to accept dangerous or illegal sexual behaviour.
The council says the slide that referenced choking with consent was part of a draft presentation that was never shown in schools. That content, they say, was deleted or corrected prior to delivery, and the final version made it clear that non-fatal strangulation is a criminal offence under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Developed in response to real questions from older pupils, the presentation was intended to support teachers navigating complex topics around consent and harmful behaviour. The final version was vetted before being offered to schools as part of a pastoral programme. Only one school accepted the offer, and the material was delivered to an audience of 15–17 year olds in October 2024.
Councillor Martyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Education and Youth Services, said: 'The suggestion that older pupils have been taught to consent to damaging sexual behaviour is simply not true. All pastoral advice used by local schools is carefully designed to be age-appropriate, and to encourage teenagers who are maturing into young adults to develop healthy, respectful relationships where there is no abuse of any kind.'
Cllr Jones added that the original draft may have been shared with the media by someone acting in good faith but who misunderstood the situation.
'It appears that inaccurate information from a draft version of a presentation was shared with the media by individuals who had the best of intentions as they thought it had already been used in classrooms. However, the truth of the matter is that the slides in question had been deleted and updated long before the final version of the presentation was ever delivered,' he said.
The council reiterated its commitment to safeguarding and said it monitors all educational materials used with children and young people to ensure they remain appropriate and compliant with legislation.
Next steps
Ms Asghar has also written to the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Education, calling for a broader review into how topics such as pornography and violent sexual behaviours are addressed in schools across Wales.
Bridgend Council has yet to confirm whether it will release the full versions of the presentation as requested.
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