At the beginning of the next academic year, September 2020, the new statutory guidance for Relationship Education, Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education for primary and secondary schools will come into force and schools will be expected to be ready to implement the government’s new guidelines.
The last changes were introduced 20 years ago, making this new guidance, in my opinion, well overdue, especially considering the changes and developments during this period with regards to technology and its impact on our lives, as well as our thinking around gender, sexuality and mental health. Add to that the fact that children are physically developing earlier, with some girls starting menstruation as young as eight, it’s safe to say that the last 20 years have seen a lot of change.
Some of the changes in thinking and understanding have been reflected legislatively. In 2003, for example, Section 28, which banned local authorities (and therefore schools) from promoting homosexuality, was repealed. In 2004, the Gender Recognition Act was introduced, giving transsexual people ‘legal recognition as members of the sex appropriate to their gender’ and allowing them to legally apply for a new birth certificate to represent their ‘acquired’ gender. In 2010, the Equality Act was established.
Technology has advanced rapidly over the last 20 years and looks set to continue, but currently, it is left for parents and educators to take responsibility for children’s safety in the online world. With 99% of 12 to 15 year olds now online, the government’s Online Safety Bill, April 2019, which lists protecting children online as one of its integral functions, is very welcome. However, robust education for children from Early Years to the end of their school life is necessary to prepare them adequately for the world around them. A recent study by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) revealed that more than half of children have encountered porn by the age of 11 to 13 and children as young as 7 years old are accessing pornography online. It’s becoming clear that mandatory teaching around how to enjoy technology safely and in balance with children’s offline lives is an essential part of RSE. So what does that mean for teachers?
What the new RSE guidelines mean
It’s important for teachers to understand why children’s education provision needs to align with changes in thinking and understanding to be able to best meet children’s needs. The changes are not without their controversy and some schools and teachers have already found themselves on the receiving end of anger from communities who find that the new statutory guidance is at odds with their cultural and religious beliefs.
Schools are expected to consult with parents and communities about what they intend to teach and how they intend to go about it. I would imagine that schools will continue to come up against resistance from faith communities and some parents. These new regulations will challenge the crux of some communities’ belief systems and that can understandably be confronting and difficult.