School leaders have raised concerns that the education secretary’s latest call for schools to publish relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum materials will create a “huge additional workload requirement”.
Their concern comes as education secretary Gillian Keegan is set to write to schools tomorrow, stating that companies providing RSHE teaching resources cannot use copyright law to forbid schools from sharing materials.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that the union agrees with the transparency of materials used in RSHE lessons. But he was worried that the letter “creates an expectation that schools will publish every piece of planning and resource used across the RSHE curriculum”.
Schools will generally share RSHE curriculum materials with parents when requested, he added.
Mr Barton said: “We are concerned that the education secretary’s letter to schools and parents creates an expectation that schools will publish every piece of planning and resource used across the RSHE curriculum.
“This is a huge additional workload requirement at a time when they are already significantly overburdened.”
Ms Keegan wrote to schools in March of this year to “ensure” they were complying with a legal obligation to publish their RSHE approach, and sharing all curriculum materials with parents.
However, her latest letter will make clear that companies providing teaching resources cannot use copyright law to forbid schools from sharing materials.
RSHE materials for parents
The department said schools should not enter contractual conditions that prevent them from sharing RHSE materials.
The Department for Education added that this latest update “provides the most categorical position on the application of copyright law in this area to date - as part of the government’s overriding approach to empower both teachers and parents to defend their rights”.
The department will also provide schools with a sample letter that they can adapt and send to external providers in the case that a school is faced with contractual clauses by providers.
Ms Keegan’s letter will state: “No ifs, no buts and no more excuses. This government is acting to guarantee parents’ fundamental right to know what their children are being taught in RSHE.”
It will say that where parents cannot attend a presentation or they are unable to view materials via a “portal”, such as a school website, schools may provide copies of materials for parents to take home on request, providing parents agree to avoid copying the content or sharing it further.
The DfE is currently conducting a review of the RSHE curriculum and will publish the updated guidance for full public consultation later this year.
