The education secretary will today write to schools to “ensure” they are complying with a legal obligation to publish their relationship, health and sex education (RHSE) approach, as well as sharing all curriculum materials with parents.
The letter to be sent by Gillian Keegan today comes as the Department for Education launched a review of RHSE, which it says will conclude by the end of 2023.
The DfE also said that the Oak National Academy has been tasked with developing RHSE curriculum materials to make sure every school can access “high-quality, compliant resources” alongside the review.
The department said the review will be advised by an expert panel on how to put “clear safeguards” in place to “stop pupils from being taught contested and potentially damaging concepts”.
It will advise on the potential introduction of age ratings setting out what is appropriate to be taught at what age, to prevent children from being taught concepts they are too young to understand, the DfE said.
The independent panel, which will be appointed in the coming weeks, will draw on close work with Ofsted, the department added.
The education secretary said she is “deeply concerned” about reports of inappropriate lessons being taught in schools and that the review will leave “no room” for disturbing content.
The DfE said Ms Keegan’s letter to schools will remind them they are required by law to publish a relationship or a relationship and sex education policy and consult parents on it, and should also provide all curriculum materials to parents.
It will also tell them they must “stop entering into contracts that seek to prevent parents from seeing materials”.
The letter makes clear that parents should be able to view all curriculum materials and that parents can ask to see material if it has not already been shared, especially in relation to sensitive topics.
The new guidance will be published in the coming months and will be consulted on, coming into force by the end of the year.
The DfE confirmed that separate guidance on how to respond to children who are questioning their gender identity will also be published this year.
Ms Keegan said: “I am deeply concerned about reports of inappropriate lessons being taught in schools.
“This urgent review will get to the heart of how RHSE is currently taught and should be taught in the future. This will leave no room for any disturbing content, restore parents’ confidence and make sure children are even better protected.”
Oak is set to develop resources for RHSE in its next tranche of subjects. The lesson resources for this subject will be available in the autumn term of 2024.
The first tranche of subject resources (English, maths, science, music, geography and history) will be rolled out by Oak from September 2023.
Union leader disappointed at ‘implicit criticism’ of schools
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It is important to understand a review of the guidance was always planned at this time and it is not now happening in response to some sort of calamity over the teaching of this important subject.
“It is very disappointing to see education secretary Gillian Keegan’s implicit criticism of schools when she says the review will restore the confidence of parents.”
He added that the vast majority of schools teach this subject cautiously, sensitively and in an age-appropriate manner, and said: ”Claims made about inappropriate teaching are overblown, sweeping and supported by evidence which is flimsy at best.”
Mr Barton also said the government had provided very little training support for the teaching of this subject.
