Statutory guidance on RSE and health education now out from DfE

[Barbie222]

Apologies if there’s a thread running already - the DfE statutory guidance on relationships and sex education is out today: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education

This specific piece of guidance was interesting:

67. Pupils should also be taught the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment. This should recognise that people have legal rights by virtue of their biological sex which are different from the rights of those of the opposite sex with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment. Pupils should also be taught to recognise that people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, as with the other protected characteristics, have protection from discrimination and should be treated with respect and dignity.

68. In teaching this, schools should be mindful that beyond the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment there is significant debate, and they should be careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact. For example, they should not teach as fact that all people have a gender identity. Schools should avoid language and activities which repeat or enforce gender stereotypes. Schools should be mindful to avoid any suggestion that social transition is a simple solution to feelings of distress or discomfort.

69. Schools should encourage young people to consider how to express their views while remaining respectful of the opinions of others. Schools should be clear that bullying or disrespectful language or behaviour is never appropriate. * *

70. Where schools decide to use external resources, they should avoid materials that use cartoons or diagrams that oversimplify this topic, that could be interpreted as being aimed at younger children, or that perpetuate stereotypes or encourage pupils to question their gender. Schools should consult parents on the content of external resources on this topic in advance and make all materials available to them on request as set out in the section on openness with parents.

Great! My DD is starting secondary in September and I want to be on solid ground if I need to contact school.

Ooh thanks, I hadn’t see this

Wow

Looks good to me thanks for flagging.

Thank you. The parts you’ve quoted look very sensible - and statutory!

That seems incredibly balanced!

I'm just wilaiting for our usual suspects here to claim that this section is jUsT a MoDeRn SeCtIoN 28!!!1!!

In teaching this, schools should be mindful that beyond the facts and the law about biological sex and gender reassignment there is significant debate, and they should be careful not to endorse any particular view or teach it as fact. For example, they should not teach as fact that all people have a gender identity

Best news in ages. I've been deeply worried about my kids being indoctrinated in school. Hopefully this will be an end to the business model of those companies that have been going into schools reducing maleness and femaleness to pink and blue fucking jelly babies, too.

Excellent! I could name a few external providers who will be spending the Summer holidays amending their resources to align with this.

This is the best news I've had in ages, and a perfect present as term is ending!

There will be issues as it’s translated to the chalk face, undoubtedly. But it’s better than we’ve had before.

this is a tweet comparing guidelines https://x.com/cforwomenuk/status/1945144396065697814?s=46&t=A2fpFNgDRyXF2d6ye97wEA

my problem with this is that biological sex isn’t ‘a view’ and it’s also been clarified by the Supreme Court.

so it’s a strange take to have tbh

It is a fact that we have a sex and it’s a fact we can’t change it.

Schools should consult parents on the content of external resources on this topic in advance and make all materials available to them on request as set out in the section on openness with parents.

Finally!! No more hiding behind "business competition" (brainfart on correct phrase).

I read that section as meaning that was the ‘facts and the law’ here, and the issue would be with teaching gender identity as an alternative equally valid POV. But you’re right it’s not as clear as could be.

Wow. Expectations exceeded.

The part about parents being able to see the material is good. The rest of it is weak and there is a lot of scope for schools to tweak it to fit their own brand of activism. For example, point 68 about not endorsing any side as fact. I would have thought that if gender identity has to be mentioned at all (which I don't think it does), then they should be making it very clear that biological facts are indeed facts.
Point 69: bullying and respectful language. My child's school had got using a child's preferred pronoun or not believing their identity as 'bullying'. (This has recently disappeared, but I'm keeping a close eye on it...)
I don't think gender identity should be taught at school at all. Because I don't believe for one minute that when teaching it they are telling the full story. Do schools mention AGPs? Fetishistic crossdressers? The mental health issues that usually go side by side with young people feeling distressed about their bodies and then being told they are 'trans'? Probably not. And therefore they are being biased.

Schools should consult parents on the content of external resources on this topic in advance and make all materials available to them on request as set out in the section on openness with parents.

This is great as Protect and Teach have spoken about how difficult parents have found it to get schools to show them what is being taught. Many schools have been elusive and uncooperative. In some cases, they have claimed they can't share it because it's the external provider's intellectual property. They can now direct schools to this guidance if they re not complying.

As @NamefromNowheresays it’s possible for activist teachers to spin it

at the same time I suppose it all makes it much easier to challenge materials and assemblies etc. but there are still a lot of woolly edges.

That's great. How come the DfE statutory guidance can tackle this issue, and provide the post-SC legal clarity, without all the endless hand-wringing , misinformation and undermining that the EHRC is being subjected to?

Schools must consult parents about RSE new policy

Nope, it explicitly states that the existence of all queer people should be taught and doesn't do what the Tory draft did and ignore why we exist.

The bit about not teaching that all people have a gender identity is bizarre tho..like there's probably about as many people who believe that the moon is made of cheese than who sincerely believe they don't have a gender identity, but meh. Some people are a bit concerned about the 'encouraging to explore gender identity' in the same way that sec 28 explicitly was 'promoting homosexuality' whilst actually lead to 'don't talk about the gays', but that's contradicted by what was said earlier and clearly refers to something that doesn't happen anyway.

Pleased that they're not doing what the Tories were proposing by gatekeeping teaching about sexual violence (obviously age-appropriately). Not sure what to think about the 'role model' stuff and +ve conceptions of masculinity / femininity. feels like they were trying to get away from 'toxic' conceptions of these, but the wording is not clear.

Anyway, it's fine and faar better than what the Tories were proposing.

Excellent news! Hopefully there won't be more cases like the Scottish teacher who bollocked a kid for saying there were only two genders.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/teenager-who-went-viral-after-arguing-with-his-teacher-that-there-are-only-two-genders-told-its-not-ok-for-him-to-return-to-the-school-a4180816.html

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jul/15/pupils-schools-england-sex-gender-identity-government?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

This being reported (by the usual suspects) as a win for trans rights as it over turns the Tory guidance that under 9s should not be taught RSE. (Not worth talking about but just thought I would add as a point of information!)

Misogynistic myths kicked out of classrooms to protect children
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/misogynistic-myths-kicked-out-of-classrooms-to-protect-children

New RSHE guidance: what parents need to know
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/07/new-rshe-guidance-what-parents-need-to-know/

Both published today.

Rachel Rooney:

https://x.com/rooneyrachel/status/1945163028808315189?s=46&t=A2fpFNgDRyXF2d6ye97wEA