Government consultation on relationships and sex education in English schools: have your say

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

As you may know, the Department for Education is gearing up to produce new guidance for schools in England on how to teach relationships and sex education, following the announcement that the subject will be compulsory in all schools (although parents will still be able to withdraw their children).

(As you may also know, Mumsnet has been calling for compulsory SRE in schools for some years now, based on the strength of MNer feeling on the issue.)

The DfE is now hosting a consultation to find out what parents and other stakeholders think should be included in the subject curriculum. It's in the form of a survey and takes about half an hour to complete: you can fill it in here.

You can read more about the background to the consultation here.

As ever, let us know what you think!

Thanks
MNHQ

[HandsOffMyRights]

I realise that the consultation originally cited, has ended.

The 'new' one I've linked to is very much live and deadlines 7 November.

[HandsOffMyRights]

This deadlines next week.

It took me about an hour to do. There is some guidance here, which covers key issues like consent, sexting, porn and gender identity.

www.transgendertrend.com/rse-government-consultation/

[EightysPerm]

Little cabbage

Yes that one is another one to do it closes on the 7th November.

There is a thread in feminism board called ‘have your say on sex education’. It has various links also you can see the gov calls for evidence report from this one on gov website link included on that thread

[littlecabbage]

Thought it was this one, which is still active:

consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/

[littlecabbage]

Oops, got confused with a different one - sorry everyone!

[prh47bridge]

Not sure how you have started to fill it in. The survey is no longer live. The consultation closed 8 months ago.

[littlecabbage]

I have started filling this in - so important.

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello all

St John's Ambulance has been in touch to ask parents to consider calling for first aid to be included in the PSHE curriculum. They say they are asking for 'a minimum of one hour of age-appropriate first aid to be taught every year which means [children will] leave school with a basic knowledge that could save so many more lives; possibly prevent more needless trips to A&E. Our children/pupils could save our lives and the kids get so much out of it in terms of development – e.g. greater confidence and self-esteem, strong leadership and decision-making skills, resilience and the ability to cope with adversity – skills they carry with them through life.'

If you'd like to mention this to the DfE you can do so via the same survey linked in the OP.

Thanks
MNHQ

[notafish]

When teenagers were surveyed about sex and relationship education they were shown to have a strong preference for the teaching to be delivered by external experts rather than their own teachers.

[SecondaryTeacher]

The nurses from the GUM clinics were always the best for delivering SRE... sadly the schools can no longer afford them.

[SecondaryTeacher]

I am curious, what are the topics people feel that parents should be responsible for teaching rather than schools?

Assuming all of the above is to be taught in school then why on earth are secondary teachers considered the best people to deliver it? We are all specialists in our respective fields but remarkably few of us should ever be delivering SRE.

The best sessions I've seen delivered were always by external nurses who can say whatever they need without consequence. Teach SRE in the same style as embarrassing bodies? I'd rather keep my job thanks.

[321namechange]

What I would have liked to add was that it should not be delivered by bringing in organisations with a desire to further their own agenda. So health professional from GUM clinic would be excellent. Speaker from Mermaids no thank you. Someone from Childline or Samaritans great!

[woman11017]

This is a shocking inditement of current SRE practice:

victimfocus.wordpress.com/2018/01/15/i-had-my-first-ever-panic-attack-watching-a-cse-film-at-school-another-letter-for-nomorecsefilms/

Why are girls not being taught self defence as part of this programme?

[BetterEatCheese]

All done.

[woman11017]

Thank youmcdog a while back a local boys grammar school was teaching the boys, baby care and parent craft, the head then was promoting a much more supportive culture for the boys.

[mcdog]

@woman11017, the "mechanics" of sex and childbirth are covered by the schools, but I do 1:1 work with children who need a more tailored approach.

No idea about childcare I'm afraid!! I didn't know this used to be taught, I was at secondary in the 90's and it wasn't. Unless you took it as an option at college post 16.

[woman11017]

That is really useful thank you mcdog
Is pregnancy and child birth and parenthood not covered?
(It used to be in the 1970s!)

[mcdog]

I am a specialist school nurse. In the secondary schools that I cover, all the children by the end of Yr10 have been taught awareness of the following:

CSE
Contraception
Consent ++++
Anatomically correct names for body parts
The law
STI's
Healthy relationships
Domestic abuse in teenage relationships
Rights and responsibilities over age 16

It makes me really sad that these are statutory in all schools. And even sadder that parents can withdraw their children from these classes.

[woman11017]

Having looked at the gov doc results, I would suggest:

Teach girls laws and protocol on consent; the history of feminism; the mechanics of sex; how to access contraception and self defence.

Teach boys the history of feminism; the mechanics of sex and contraception; protocol for consent; laws on consent.

For bi and gay students; the history of bi and gay rights; laws on consent.

STD and how to avoid should be taught to all.

The laws, economic and politics of the sexual exploitation industry including 'sexting' pornography and prostitution would be useful for older kids to know too.

How to be pregnant, give birth and how to look after your new baby having just survive 'labour' would seem more than useful.

Unless sex and maternity are distinct phenomena.

Like in the Huxley text?

[woman11017]

porn is fake

It usually consists of films of penniless mums, daughters and sisters?

I have it on good authority that girls are being taught that 'men need pornography'. in PSE in one English school, this academic year.

Is teaching boys and girls that boys 'need pornography' with the obvious implications for girls and women, government policy?

Maybe famous pornography men should be shown to them to warn boys of how they could end up?

[80sQueen]

It interesting that we also don't talk about the cases of professionals eg. Teachers, sexually abusing children expecially boys. How children should deal with this. The threat of CSE is sometimes within what should safe places

[Lanaorana2]

Major on the fact that never, in any culture or country, has rape or sexual harassment been acceptable, contrary to what you might think. It (still) isn't. For either sex.

Go in hard on the reality of male rape, not just because it's underreported, but because it gets the message across that, believe it or not, while men are always the bad guys, they can be victims too.

[MuggleMum]

@grasspigeons Please do complete the consultation. Your thinking is spot on - consent and bodily autonomy are massive issues.

I say this as the mother of a 16 year old raped by a 15 year old from her school. I begged the Governors to teach about consent to prevent it happening again, and they told me that they were already giving children the best advice: wait until you are married. The Governor said that to me, as the mother of a rape victim. Unbelievable. That's why we all need to scream for mandatory and comprehensive teaching around bodily autonomy in primary and sexual consent in secondary.

Please ask all your friends and relations to complete.

[SingingSeuss]

Done. Consent a Biggie as is grooming/ abuse, domestic violence.

[Kimlek]

Done.