Prime minister Rishi Sunak has asked the Department for Education to “ensure that schools are not teaching inappropriate or contested content” in relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education.
Mr Sunak also said today that the government will “bring forward” a planned review of how RSE and health education are being taught in schools, following concerns that children are being exposed to “inappropriate” content.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, he said: “Our priority should always be the safety and wellbeing of children and schools should also make curriculum content and materials available to parents.
“As a result of all of this, we are bringing forward a review of RSE and health education statutory guidance and we will start our consultation as soon as possible.”
A review of RSE and health education guidance was already scheduled for 2023. Mr Sunak’s comments came after Conservative MP Miriam Cates said pupils were being subjected to RSE and health education classes that are “age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate”.
Ms Cates, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, called on Mr Sunak to commission an independent inquiry to “end inappropriate sex education”.
Mr Sunak’s comments today were not met positively by the NAHT school leaders’ union.
James Bowen, director of policy at the union, said it was “hard to be anything other than deeply concerned” by the announcement.
The overwhelming majority of schools are following the government’s own statutory guidance when it comes to the RSE and health education curriculum, which was subject to extensive consultation before it was introduced, he said.
The union has seen no evidence to suggest there is a widespread problem with pupils being presented with age-inappropriate materials, he added.
He said: “There is a real concern that this is a politically motivated review, rather than one based on the reality of what is happening in the vast majority of schools up and down the country.”
He appealed to the government to ensure its review is handled with the “care, sensitivity and impartiality it requires” and to “listen carefully to the voices of education professionals and pupils”.
Lessons are a ‘catastrophe’ for childhood
Ms Cates told the Commons: “Graphic lessons on oral sex, how to choke your partner safely and 72 genders: this is what passes for relationships and sex education in British schools.
“Across the country, children are being subjected to lessons that are age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate, often using resources from unregulated organisations that are actively campaigning to undermine parents.
“This is not a victory for equality, it is a catastrophe for childhood.”
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “We believe children should be supported to make informed decisions and those need to be factually based and age-appropriate.
“So the prime minister has asked for the DfE to look at some of the issues raised by the MPs in the letter to him to make sure all schools are compliant with existing guidance.”
The spokesperson stressed “clear guidance” already exists on external speakers and resources “and that’s something that we want the review to look at”.
The DfE will also conduct a consultation on the guidance later this year, he said.
