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<p>Sex education has been compulsory in all maintained secondary schools since 1993.
When teaching sex education, schools are required to have regard to the statutory
sex and relationships education guidance, which was last updated in 2000. This states
that maintained schools must have an up-to-date policy, that sets out the school’s
approach to sex education, that they should consult their pupils’ parents and make
the policy available to parents. Governors and head teachers should discuss with parents
and take on board concerns, on sensitive material to be used in the classroom.</p><p>We
have recently consulted on updated guidance for sex education alongside the introduction
of relationships education at primary and secondary schools. On its introduction,
all schools will be required to have in place a written policy for relationships education
and relationships and sex education (RSE). Schools must consult parents in developing
and reviewing their policy. Schools should ensure that the policy meets the needs
of pupils and parents and reflects the community they serve. Schools should also ensure
that the policy sets out the content of the subjects, how the content is taught and
who is responsible for teaching it. The draft guidance is also clear that schools
should ensure that, when they consult parents, they provide examples of the resources
they plan to use, as this can be reassuring for parents, and enables them to continue
the conversations started in class at home. Schools should assess each resource that
they propose to use to ensure that it is appropriate for the age and maturity of pupils,
and sensitive to their needs. The Department does not provide guidance to schools
on what they place in school libraries as the Department believes schools are best
placed to determine this.</p><p>The Department conducted a consultation on the draft
regulations, statutory guidance and regulatory impact assessment for relationships
education, relationships and sex education and health education between July and November
2018. The drafting of the consultation and draft statutory guidance was led by my
right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and I, with support from a
small team of policy officials and an experienced Headteacher, Ian Bauckham CBE.</p><p>The
Department was contacted by over 40,000 individuals and organisations during the consultation
process. Prior to the consultation, the key decisions were informed by a thorough
engagement process. The public call for evidence received over 23,000 responses and
the Department engaged directly with 90 organisations, including parents, young people,
headteachers, teachers, governors, subject specialists, teaching unions, charities
and faith groups. The Department has not made an assessment of their views on abortion
specifically. These stakeholders can be found in the Government response to the Call
for Evidence at: <a href="https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/supporting_documents/180718%20Consultation_call%20for%20evidence%20response_policy%20statement.pdf"
target="_blank">https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/supporting_documents/180718%20Consultation_call%20for%20evidence%20response_policy%20statement.pdf</a>.</p><p>From
time-to-time the Department does also receive correspondence on materials used in
the current delivery of sex education and this can be due to a variety of reasons.
The Department encourages correspondents to contact their school to discuss this and
ensure that they are aware of the current sex and relationships education guidance.
The Department would take seriously any concern regarding inappropriate materials.
The Department has also received a recent petition which raised concerns about RSE
resources being produced by lobby groups and external organisations. The draft guidance
is clear that schools should ask to see the materials visitors will use as well as
a lesson plan in advance, so that they can ensure it meets the full range of pupils’
needs (e.g. special educational needs). The Department also recognises that schools
use resources from representative bodies (e.g. many Catholic and other schools draw
on the model curricula provided by the Catholic Education Service.) The guidance encourages
schools to draw on the expertise of the main subject associations which often quality
assure third party resources.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to supporting
schools through training, further advice to improve practice and sharing of best practice,
including examples of successful parental engagement. This will include advice on
using quality assured, age-appropriate resources.</p>
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