Review of Sex Education

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a review of sex education in schools following growing concerns around contested relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) content.

Relationships and health education (RHE) for primary aged pupils and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) for secondary aged pupils became compulsory from September 2020 and schools were expected to start teaching by at least the start of the summer term 2021. The review of this statutory guidance was due at the end of this year, it has now been brought forward.

It is likely that the review will focus on what an age-appropriate ‘ceiling’ looks like and how parents are listened to. It will also be important to consider how Ofsted will use the review to inform inspection and how parents can raise concerns in ways that will be taken into account.

The head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman is reported as saying “It’s clear that there are materials being used which have no basis in any reputable scientific, biological explanation or any properly grounded understanding of human relationships.”

Amanda Spielman then went on to say “The way the guidance is drafted sets clear minimum expectations but no maximum”, making it difficult for Ofsted to say whether a school is ‘doing too much’. ”

However, The National Association of Head Teachers, is reported as saying “We have seen no evidence to suggest there is a widespread problem with pupils being presented with age-inappropriate materials and if this were the situation, we would expect it to have been picked up on a case-by-case basis.”