Responding to the leaked details of the government's new RSHE
guidance, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders'
union NAHT, said:
"Relationships, Sex and Health Education covers a wide range of
content and is vital to help safeguard young people and prepare
pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of
adult life.
“Some of the topics covered are particularly sensitive and need
considered and measured debate. It is utterly disgraceful
that once again this government has decided to engage in private
briefings and media leaks simply to grab headlines. The children
and young people of this country deserve better.
“If what has been leaked is accurate, the government must provide
the evidence which unequivocally shows that such age limits will
improve the support, protection and safeguarding of children and
young people.
“We have serious concerns about how potential ‘limits' would work
in practice. Schools already work hard to ensure that the
curriculum and teaching is age-appropriate based on the current
government guidance and have the vital flexibility to respond to
their own community and the needs of pupils in their schools.
Curriculum content is also shared and discussed with
parents.
“We cannot ignore the fact that some children and
young people are already accessing information
from different sources outside of school. This may lead to
questions that need careful handling from trained professionals.
It is hard to see how rigid limits on what can be discussed and
when would be in the best interests of young people - and this
may even risk them seeking information from less reliable
sources.”
