Schools Bill - House of Lords Discussion on Amendment 171F - Parents' rights to know what RSE materials are being used

[ContradictoryEvidence]

This discussion is within the context of the Schools Bill.

The following amendment numbered 171F to the bill has been tabled:

BARONESS MORRIS OF YARDLEY LORD SANDHURST
LORD MACDONALD OF RIVER GLAVEN
After Clause 65, insert the following new Clause—
“Parental right to review school curriculum material and commercial confi- dentiality
(1) Where parents request it, schools must allow parents to view all curriculum materials used in schools, including those provided by external third-party charitable and commercial providers.
(2) Schools must not withhold curriculum materials from parental view, but may restrict access to parental view on school premises only, including to satisfy the concerns of third-party providers about commercial prejudice or commercial con dentiality, including under section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.”
Member's explanatory statement
This amendment would ensure parents can view all school curriculum material on the school premises.

These are videos of the House of Lords discussing the amendment within the context of, in particular, Relationship and Sex Education materials provided to schools by private organisations (like Jigsaw), who refuse sight of their materials to parents on intellectual property grounds; thus effectively excluding parents from knowing what their children are being taught in RSE lessons.

Here are transcripts of the speeches, starting with Baroness Morris, proposing the amendment:

www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2022-06-20a.15.0

And here in video (thanks to Conservatives For Women for uploading) :

Baroness Barran responding for the government - rejecting the amendment because it will create more work for teachers, apparently. Frankly a pathetic response that is not getting the point of the amendment.

Please write to your MP in support of Amendment 171F.

If a school or a teacher feel a need to conceal what they are teaching from a parent, then it is not something they should be teaching a child.

A childs education remains the parents responsibility even if they send the child to a school (which is why the parents get fined etc.. not the school), so they should always know what the school is 'teaching' on their behalf.

The problem is schools contract out, getting materials from providers with some interesting agendas. The providers then forbid schools via contract from the copying or distribution of their materials to allow access to parents requesting them, citing spurious IP grounds. Teachers aren't lawyers, and some of them will be happy with the agenda of the external providers and seek to exclude parents. They are going to say no to parents, therefore, out of fear of legal ramifications, or gladly collude using a legal shield to say no. This is the loophole the amendment is seeking to quash, to allow parents full sight of RSE material. It is important parent power in a situation where RSE is mandatory and parents have no veto on the lessons themselves. It means parents can at least absorb the materials and give their children a balancing view or just some plain old facts in the case of the materials containing batshittery.