Sex ed scandal: Urgent guidance needed to protect kids

The Government has been urged to act swiftly to protect pupils from inappropriate school materials after announcing its review of statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England.

The Times spoke to parents who described how their children had been forced to form genitalia out of Play-Doh and told to be “sex-positive”.

In a programme withdrawn by Swindon Borough Council in September 2022, lesson plans covered a Gender Galaxy exploring “the spectrum of gender identities” and instructions on how to use contraception as an aid for sex acts.

No evidence base

Another lesson plan from a secondary school in Bristol included a ‘Planet Porn’ card game containing questions about pornography and sexual activity.

One mother on the Isle of Man said her twelve-year-old son had “gone from finding out about Santa Claus to being told about anal sex.”

President of the Association of School and College Leaders Evelyn Forde said Department for Education (DfE) guidance “often comes out quite late”, so “I think what we would welcome would be that early guidance. We’d welcome it as soon as.”

Ofsted’s Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman claimed that although it could not tackle the use of inappropriate content in schools without further guidance: “It’s clear that there are materials being used which have no basis in any reputable scientific, biological explanation or any properly grounded understanding of human relationships.”

PM concerned

Last week, Rishi Sunak committed to bringing forward the review in response to a question from Miriam Cates MP. The DfE is currently collecting evidence with a consultation on updated guidance expected later this year.

Mrs Cates told the Prime Minister that children are being “subjected to lessons that are age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate, often using resources from unregulated organisations that are actively campaigning to undermine parents. This is not a victory for equality, it is a catastrophe for childhood.”

Mr Sunak later commented: “I was concerned by the reports that I’ve seen, and that’s why it’s important that we review this and get it right. These materials are obviously sensitive. I speak as a parent, first and foremost, rather than a politician.

“It’s important that it’s age-appropriate and it’s important that parents know what’s going on and have access to those materials. If that’s not happening, then we need to make sure that it is and that’s why it’s right that we do a proper review of the situation.”

Explicit

In late March 2020, Warwickshire County Council withdrew its All About Me sex and relationships education programme “with immediate effect” after legal pressure from The Christian Institute.

All About Me was drawn up by Warwickshire County Council (WCC) before the Government brought in the new statutory Relationships Education subject which became compulsory in September 2020.

In correspondence passed to The Christian Institute, WCC claimed: “The All About me program is not sex education”. It also claimed lesson plan content would not be passed on to children.

However, guidance accompanying the programme admitted that it includes three “essential” sex education lessons. Even in lessons which WCC classified as Relationships Education rather than sex education, children as young as six were encouraged to masturbate and Year 5 pupils shown explicit images.