2024 DFE review of the RSHE guidance
The Department for Education has released draft guidance on relationships, sex and health education, that is currently out for consultation. The Union has responded to this consultation.
It is important to emphasise that this guidance is draft out for consultation – there is no need to change any existing policies in reaction to the draft guidance. It is important to remember that when relationships and sex education (RSE) became mandatory five years ago it was widely supported in Parliament as a safeguarding tool.
As outlined in the Sex Education Forum’s Young people’s RSE 2024 poll, young people are starting to benefit from this protective curriculum, with 50% saying their RSE is ‘good’ or ‘very good’ in our poll of 16 and 17 years olds earlier this year.
The Union has some concerns about the guidance.
- We are concerned that age restrictions will make it harder for young people to receive the information they need to be safe in a timely fashion
- We believe that this guidance makes the obligations on teachers less clear, and will make it harder for them to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities
- We believe this guidance will make it harder for schools to successfully meet their requirements under the Equality Act 2010, which includes a responsibility to ensure LGBT+ equality.
On this basis, we have completed our response to the consultation. We are now awaiting the government's response.
- The union has co-signed this joint position statement written by the PSHE Strategic Partners Group and signed by over 100 organisations.
- The union has also sponsored this RSHE briefing by the End Violence Against Women Coalition.
