Please see below a selection from many positive reviews of our resources. Our resources are widely used in special and mainstream schools, colleges and by health and education professionals.
Feedback about 'You, Your Body, Growing Up, Relationships and Sex' online resource.
"....we have found life support Productions, online subscription material absolutely fantastic. It clearly explains with very clear animated images, to our course participants who need this kind of clear and explicit understanding."
Joanna Mowat - Relationship workshop facilitator Guideposts Trust April 2022
Review of 'The Primary Guide to Growing Up, Relationships and Sex' for The School Library Association
'Unusually, this package is presented as a video DVD – useful because you do not need a computer to run it, as it will work perfectly on a DVD Player. The presentation is simple and easy to move around, and there is a lot of content – probably everything you would need to teach and reassure primary-aged children on what can be a challenging area for non-specialists. On the disc, you will also find some excellent lesson plans (35 pages of them) which guide even the most anxious teacher through delivering the content. There is also a twenty-five page set of viewing notes, which proved very useful prior to lessons.
Once you are in, there is a short menu, which splits the content into four sections, plus a ‘Help and advice’ link. The only slight issue we found here is that the ‘mechanics’ of sex is covered in the section on Pregnancy, rather than the one labelled ‘Sex’ – as long as you’ve read the viewing notes, however, this won’t come as a surprise!
Choose a section, and you get a view of two people on a sofa – Bobby and Sonia, who are the guides through the whole thing. Some of the people I showed it to thought that the 3D animation on these specific parts did not work very well, and would have preferred either ‘real’ people or more traditional animation. I thought it was fine, and because Bobby and Sonia do not look totally ‘real’, it makes the sections where they’re nude less embarrassing than they might otherwise be.
The voiceover and subtitles are excellent for younger children – the language used is appropriate, and simple enough for most children to understand. It also offers ‘vernacular’ terms for parts of the body as well as the scientific ones.
I also like the way it is very clear about what is acceptable, and what isn’t – with particular reference to consent and unwanted advances, with the overriding message that your body is yours, it’s private, and that saying ‘No’ if you don’t want to do something is OK.
It also goes through potentially problematical (in teaching terms) topics like homosexual relationships in a calm way, presenting the facts, rather than opinion – in fact, that is a theme throughout. You are consistently being given detailed, reliable and reassuring facts, rather than anyone’s opinion.
I showed the disc to our PSCHE coordinator, and she was very impressed, and thought it would be great for Key Stage 2 – particularly if the teacher was concerned about teaching the content.
Overall: great value, excellent content that has obviously been thought about. Interesting presentation, which engages children. It is the sort of resource most schools might only use once or twice a year per year group, but when they get to teaching it, they will be really glad they made the investment. It is a no nonsense, high quality, in depth and reliable guide through the minefield of growing up. Highly recommended.
Adrian Thompson , ICT, Communications & Library, Sandal Primary School.
It all worked brilliantly and I was really impressed with your site and the resources you offer. I work for the children's disability team visiting schools to advise on inclusion, etc. so your SEN resources were of particular interest to me.
Rachel Copes Specialist Teacher Advisory Service Basingstoke
Review of 'The Primary Guide to Growing Up, Relationships and Sex' for the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf
'Before I trained as a ToD, I spent a term working in a school for the deaf. As the newbie, I was given several unenviable tasks, one of which was to teach sex education to the fifth form. My teaching resources comprised a large blob of blu-tack (to represent an ovary) and two balloons (no, really, it's true!)
I wish I had been offered a copy of this DVD!
The DVD is divided into five chapters; Growing up; Looking after yourself; Sex; Pregnancy; and Help and Advice. Each chapter is sub-divided further with the smaller parts lasting around three or four minutes. It's presented by two rather androgynous, cartoon-type characters, which actually made the "naked" scenes much more bearable – much less squeamish. The only disadvantage of this is that there is no lip reading possible. The characters' mouths move, but not in any identifiable way.
The DVD is quite clear about what is and is not acceptable behaviour and re-iterates several times that this is what will happen, this is what is normal, this is private etc. and suggests talking to a teacher, parent, carer or doctor if the young person is unhappy about anything. It also offers clear guidelines about saying, "No" and that it's OK to say "No" in many circumstances. "Your body is yours" is the over-riding message.
There are several helpful inclusions such as a wide range of "slang" for different body parts; homosexual and lesbian relationships, contraception – although only condoms are mentioned; caesarean sections, and breastfeeding. There is also a very clear message about sex being illegal under the age of 16. The actual mechanics of the sexual act are included on the section on pregnancy – which may confuse initially.
This DVD would be helpful to use with junior aged children, or the lower end of secondary school. It uses accessible language, and provides clear subtitles, but is not signed.
I occasionally wonder if my ill-conceived (no pun intended) attempts to teach a group of teenage boys about sex and relationships was successful – or whether they all went on to have large, unplanned families. This DVD would have helped me to be more sure that they knew and understood the consequences of what I was trying to teach them, and were aware that there are choices to be made, both by them and by their partners.'
Corinda M Carnelley Peripatetic Teacher of the Deaf
Review of 'The Primary Guide to Growing Up, Relationships and Sex' - disabled children and young people's feedback, The Children's Society
'The DVD is clear and easy to use and has excellent 3D animations, making it an excellent learning tool. It can be used by pupils alone or as part of a group and is a good starting point for discussions. There is a good range of topics and forms a great introduction to the 'The New Guide to Relationships and Sex' DVD produced for older pupils.
The Children’s Society
'This is a fantastic resource to be used with everyone including people with learning disabilities. It is clear, concise to the point and can be used in sections'.
Review of 'The New Guide to Relationships and Sex', Derby Community Health Services - Health Promotion Resources
You, Your Body and Sex, made by Life Support Productions, all the resources from this company are highly recommended for their quality and appeal to youngsters and their parents'.
Catherine Collingwood, Speakeasy Resources
'You, Your Body and Sex focuses on the sometimes difficult subject of sex education and is aimed specifically at pupils with learning disabilities - there is a great emphasis on the need for consent and the importance of informing carers but maybe useful in PSHE in Year 7 and 8. The graphics are clear and explicit and the characters interaction with the pupils provides a direct and comfortable approach to a sensitive subject area. The topics covered include growing up, periods, masturbation, keeping clean, relationships, love and affection, loneliness, consent and meeting someone, safer sex, condoms, saying no and sex and people's attitudes.'
Review of 'You, Your Body and Sex' schoolzone.co.uk - curriculumonline.gov.uk
'Sensitively and explicitly covers sexual development and relationships. Excellent for LD pupils. Covers intimate care, unwanted advances, masturbation and sexual development..'
Review of 'You, Your Body and Sex' AQA Education
'This clear, sensitive and well-balanced sex education video emphasises safe sex, personal choice and the right to say 'no' to unwanted sexual advances. Topics include personal hygiene, love in a relationship and masturbation. The cartoon-style computer-animated drawings make it easier to the view the more explicit scenes without embarrassment. An excellent teaching aid.
Review of 'You, Your Body and Sex' Read Easy 2 Book Trust
'You, Your Body and Sex: the DVD has been produced by Life Support Productions and uses animated characters to guide the viewer with a learning disability through topics including personal hygiene, keeping well (e.g. who to tell should you notice anything unusual), growing up and puberty, periods, pre-menstrual tension, masturbation, loneliness, meeting someone new, appropriate touch, love and sex (mentioning that this can be with some of a different sex or the same sex), consenting to sex and how to say ‘no’, how to respond to unwanted attention and obtaining and using condoms.
The language used is simple and repetitive, whilst the graphics are modern and with enough detail to be interesting but not distracting. This impressive resource has been carefully and considerately produced'.
Mandy Wood, Sexuality and Relationship Education for people with Down Syndrome, (Down Syndrome news and update - The Down Syndrome Educational Trust)
'Although sexuality is commonly addressed in educational and rehabilitation programs, and a number of good resources are available, there is always a need for further educational materials. A new DVD by Life Support Productions entitled You, Your Body and Sex is a worthwhile addition to available resources.
The content and format of this DVD has been developed with attention to the special characteristics of people with learning difficulties. Each section is brief, yet tackles the essential features of the topic under consideration. The verbal text is accompanied by animated images that clearly demonstrate the behaviour being described. These images are appropriately explicit. After each section is presented, the viewer returns to the menu, thus enabling immediate review of the topic or selection of a new topic.
The curriculum generally covered in sex education programs is extended in this DVD to include topics such as the importance of self-examination, monitoring of the menstrual cycle, premenstrual tension and the need to rinse soap off genital areas. Individual differences are emphasized throughout the topics and particularly with respect to appearance, experience, sexual preference and other choices. It is also appropriate that frequent reference is given to the importance of seeking advice if there are any causes for concern.
People with learning difficulties often have deficits in their ability to interpret social cues. Although they may understand aspects of consent, it is often difficult for them to fully appreciate consent from the perspective of both the individual who seeks consent as well as the person from whom it is sought. Another positive feature of this DVD is that it gives consideration to both components i.e. how to seek consent and respond if it is not obtained, as well as how to communicate that you are not wanting to participate in a particular activity or in further contact with someone who makes an approach.
In conclusion, this DVD is a very useful addition to sex education resources for individuals with learning difficulties. Providing that it is presented in the context of a broader sex education program and access to experienced professionals, I believe that it has much to recommend it.
Review of 'You, Your Body and Sex', Jane McGillivray Sexual and Relationship Therapy, (Journal of the British Association for Sexual and Relationship Therapy - Volume 18 Number 4)
Young people found it entertaining and fun and appreciated the interactive aspect of being able to control what they viewed. Workers similarly found it useful to be able to quickly look at a particular topic and involve the group. Like the video, we all felt that although designed with young people with learning difficulties or special needs in mind, the DVD was accessible and fun for all. Like the video, this was found to be the most popular resource and to deal with sexual health topics in an interesting, fun and educational way. Everyone found it easy to use, well designed & non-threatening.
This resource represents an excellent new aid for those working with all types of young people in the field of relationships, self esteem and sexual health. Young people love the hi-tech aspect - workers loved the quality information and presentation. We would strongly recommend this resource for other teams in the field.
Review of 'You, Your Body and Sex', Morag Reid Outreach & Education Manager, Wirral Brook
'This video covers your body, masturbation, use of condoms and most importantly that sex is a private activity and that it is something you only do if you want to. You can say no and you can say yes. The video is in a computer animated format and uses very clear images as well as words. It is well paced and so does not overwhelm the viewer with too much information. It is an excellent resource for work with people with learning difficulties on sexuality and relationships'.
Review of 'You, Your Body and Sex', Family Planning Association
