Sextortion: a free pack for schools
Reports of sextortion from UK children are rising fast, and the updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance in England asks secondary schools to teach its risks and how to get support. This pack gives you what you need for staff, pupils and parents, free and with no sign-up.
Written for schools in England. Schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should follow their own national guidance alongside it.
If a pupil tells you
For every member of staff. Based on the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) advice, "Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings".
Do
- Listen, stay calm, and tell them they did the right thing by telling you
- Tell them it is not their fault, and that you need to pass it on so they get help
- Report it to your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) straight away, and follow your child protection policy
- If you saw an image by accident, tell your DSL that too, and ask for support
Do not
- Do not look at, copy, print, share, save or forward any image, or ask the pupil to show or send it to you. This is illegal
- Do not delete anything, or ask the pupil to delete it
- Do not ask the pupil for details about the image. That is for the DSL
- Do not tell other staff, pupils or parents. The DSL decides who needs to know
- Do not contact the account, and do not say anything that blames or shames
For the DSL: an adult sharing nude or semi-nude images of anyone under 18 must be referred to the police urgently. Pupils can use Report Remove, from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation, to get an image taken down, and CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) takes reports at ceop.police.uk.
15 minute assembly
Five slides, for Years 9 to 11. Tell your DSL the date beforehand, because assemblies on this topic often lead to disclosures.
Slide 1
It is a crime, and it is never your fault
Open with this, before any detail. Sextortion is blackmail over a photo, real or fake. The demand is usually money, most of the young people targeted are boys aged 14 to 17, and the person behind it is usually an adult working from a script.
Slide 2
What the setup looks like
Play The Setup on the board and let the room vote on each message: seems fine, or red flag? It takes about 5 minutes and shows the pattern: friends in common, fast compliments, a move to a private app, a photo sent first, pressure.
Slide 3
The deadline is not real
The countdown is there to stop people thinking. Deadlines get moved again and again, because extending them costs the blackmailer nothing.
Slide 4
Four things to do
Stop replying and do not pay. Screenshot first, then block and report. Tell one adult the same day. Get the photo taken down with Report Remove.
Slide 5
Who you can tell
Name your DSL and show their photo. Childline on 0800 1111. Report Remove at childline.org.uk. Finish with the line: "You will not be in trouble for telling us."
Lesson plan, ages 13 to 16
50 minutes. By the end, pupils can spot the signs of a sextortion setup, know what to do if it happens to them or a friend, and know who they can tell.
Before you teach
Tell your DSL when it is happening. Some pupils may be affected right now.
Keep it about characters and scenarios, never about pupils' own experiences.
Have the help details ready to leave on the board, and be ready for a pupil to want to talk afterwards.
5 min
Ground rules
Agree the ground rules: no personal stories, no names, questions can go in the question box. Remind everyone who the DSL is and that they can talk to you afterwards.
10 min
Starter: what is sextortion?
Pairs write down what they think it means, then share. Settle on: blackmail over a photo, real or fake, usually for money. Make the point early that it is a crime against the young person.
10 min
The Setup
Pupils play The Setup on their own devices or as a class vote. Discuss: which red flag was easiest to miss, and why does each message look normal on its own?
10 min
Staying safe scenarios
In small groups, work through "A Friend's Account Acting Strangely" and "When a Friend Tells You" (Nova, 14 to 16, Staying Safe from People Online). Each group reports back one thing they would say to a friend.
10 min
The Deadline
Play The Deadline together. Pause when the countdown runs out and ask: what happened? (Nothing.) Draw out why deadlines are used.
5 min
Plenary and help
Each pupil writes one adult they could tell. Show the help page for young people and Report Remove. Leave the help details on the board as pupils leave.
Letter for parents
Copy it into your own letter or newsletter, and fill in the parts in square brackets.
Dear parents and carers, We want to make you aware of a crime called sextortion, and the help that is available. Sextortion is blackmail. Someone online, often pretending to be a young person, gets a photo of a child, or makes a fake one, then threatens to send it to their friends and family unless they pay. Most of the young people targeted are boys aged 14 to 17. Reports from UK children have risen sharply in 2026. This week, pupils in [year groups] are learning how to spot the signs, and what to do if it happens to them or a friend. The most protective thing you can do at home is to say, more than once: "If anything ever goes wrong online, you can tell me. You will not be in trouble, and you will not lose your phone." If it does happen: - Do not pay, and stop replying - Screenshot the messages and the account, then block and report it. Do not delete anything - Get the image taken down with Report Remove, from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation - Report it to CEOP (ceop.police.uk), or call 101, or 999 if a child is in danger - Let us know, so we can support your child in school There is a short guide for parents at cybersafecoach.co.uk/learn/sextortion-advice-for-parents, and one written for young people at cybersafecoach.co.uk/learn/sextortion-help-for-young-people. If you have any worries, please contact [DSL name], our designated safeguarding lead, on [contact details]. Yours sincerely, [Name] [School name]
Training for your staff
Our staff module on online grooming and sextortion takes about 10 minutes. It covers how grooming works, who sextortion targets, and the four things to do when a pupil tells you. It is part of KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe in Education) Essentials, included in school plans in England.