The government is asking parents, teachers and young people from across England to help shape a new relationships and sex education curriculum that will help them stay safe and face the challenges of the modern world.
The Government has highlighted how the current statutory guidance for teaching Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) was introduced in 2000 and currently fails to address risks to children which have grown in prevalence in recent years, including online pornography, sexting and staying safe online.
The guidance is being updated after legislation was passed by Parliament earlier this year to make relationships education compulsory in all primary schools and relationships and sex education compulsory in all secondary schools.
As part of that process, an eight week call for evidence will invite views on age-appropriate content on mental wellbeing, staying safe online and LGBT issues in the updated subjects.
Education Secretary Justine Greening said:
“It is unacceptable that Relationships and Sex Education guidance has not been updated for almost 20 years especially given the online risks, such as sexting and cyber bullying, our children and young people face. Young people must have an education that teaches them the importance of healthy and stable relationships. This call for evidence is about giving teachers, parents and especially young people a chance to help shape that new approach and I’d urge them to take part.”
The ‘call for evidence’ aims to gather views from people across England from all backgrounds on the content of this subject. It will look to establish:
- what teachers think they should be teaching their pupils to help them navigate the modern world they are growing up in;
- how parents expect their children to be taught this topic in a safe and age-appropriate way; and
- what children themselves think they would benefit from understanding the most, and the online risks they are concerned with.
Find out more and have your say.
