Pupils with additional support needs (ASN) are at greater risk of being sexually exploited and teachers must “ensure the concept of consent is a core part of their learning”, according to draft Scottish government guidance on relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education in schools.
The government says the draft RSHP guidance, which is being consulted on until 23 November, has been designed to replace “outdated” 2014 guidance.
It says that while the foundations of good and relevant learning in RSHP education remain the same, the new guidance takes account of “the passage of time and the change in social fabric” - including the fact that “our children and young people interact more often online”.
The draft guidance contains new sections on five topics, including:
- consent and healthy relationships
- faith and belief
- gender-inclusive education
- inclusion of understanding about differences of sex development (DSD)/variations in sex characteristics (VSC)/intersex people
- lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusive education
Discussion of ‘digital relationships and consent’
On consent, the draft guidance - which also signposts teachers to relevant resources - says that best practice in learning and teaching “should include discussion of digital relationships and digital consent when defining healthy relationships”.
It says that teaching about consent can help reduce “instances of sexual harassment and gender-based violence”, at the same time as “fostering respect and tolerance” and instilling “an understanding of the impact any negative behaviours can have on others”.
It adds: “Older children and young people benefit from regular and relevant discussions of laws, particularly in relation to unwanted sexual behaviours such as the increasing prevalence of sharing of intimate images, as well as the importance of consent.”
The draft guidance says that some young people are “at greater risk of abusive relationships, sexual harassment and violence”, adding: “Research suggests children and young people with additional support needs are at greater risk of being sexually exploited. Teachers who work with pupils with additional support needs should ensure the concept of consent is a core part of their learning to ensure they are made aware of their rights.”
New consent guidance follows PSE review
The draft guidance follows a government-led review of personal and social education (PSE) in 2019, which found that the subject - typically where sex and relationship education is delivered - needed to be “vastly improved” in the senior phase of secondary school and was too often viewed as a “lesser element of the curriculum”.
The PSE review identified the teaching of sexual consent, particularly in primary, as an “aspect for improvement” and recommended that the 2014 guidance be updated “to ensure that consent education is age- and stage-appropriate and reflects the issues that are facing children and young people, especially from online influences”.
It was also recommended in a 2018 LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group report that the 2014 sex and relationships guidance be updated to ensure understanding of LGBTI terminology and identities, representation of LGBTI people and their relationships, and awareness of the impact of prejudice, as well as how to recognise and tackle homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
