The way that schools teach relationship and sex education is changing. School children can expect to be introduced to the subject from junior schools. Many people welcome this, including Emily who is a primary school teacher.
Emily said: "I think the changes have been a long time coming. Things are changing, and children are becoming more exposed via social media and relationships around them. So, they need to be given some kind of understanding from a young age."
With easy access to the internet it is easier than ever for children and young people to access explicit images. Especially as they have more opportunities to get online, whether it's by smartphones, tables, laptops or computers.
In March 2017 the UK Government announced that it will make changes to the way that relationship and sex education, or RSE, will be taught. From September 2019 it will be a requirement that all secondary schools in England will teach the subject following a set syllabus, it will even be introduced to children in the back end of junior school.
Emily also said: “We would need specialised training in order to teach it correctly and know the best way of approaching it. So right now, I’d say it is best to be taught by a professional.” This is a concern shared by others, unless the Government guarantees that they will train teachers it is unsure whether these children will get the best education they can. While RSE will be aimed at secondary school pupils, junior will receive a form of this, known as relationship education. It will be gently introducing children to the subject, by looking at what a healthy relationship is, whether it is between two men, two women, or a man and a woman. Relationship education will also begin to look into what consent is. As the children get older and join secondary school, the topics will become more in-depth and look at things like HIV, AIDS, the gender spectrum, contraception and practicing safe sex.
It could be argued that the responsibility of sexual health education is split three ways, between parents, teachers and health professionals. It is believed that by starting education early, and by gently introducing children to the subject it may became a less 'taboo’ subject. With schools working to not only to educate, but also to help open up the conversation between children and their parents.
Liam Beattie, a campaigns and parliamentary officer at Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), said: “There’s a role for all three of them. Schools can bring in local NHS partners to come into a classroom and talk to pupils about, for example, what to expect when they to a sexual health clinic. Ideally (people should) see going to a sexual health clinic the same as going to get your eyes tested or getting a check-up at the dentist. There’s no stigma attached to it whatsoever.”
Liam believes that it is essential for schools, the NHS and parents or carers to work together to educate children and young people. By treating RSE like any other lesson, with members of staff talking to parents/carers at ‘parents evening’, outlining the syllabus to them, and even providing parents/carers with relevant information so they can talk to their children about what they did in the lesson that day, just like they would in maths and English.
Lucy Emmerson, head of National Children’s Bureau (NCB) sex education forum, said: “One important way to achieve this is to have relationships and sex education (RSE) as part of the school curriculum in all schools, starting early in primary school, so that children learn it’s OK to ask questions about things to do with fertility, life cycles and our bodies.”
The NCB work to ensure equality for children and work to get them the best start in life. The THT is a charity organisation working to fight against HIV, and improve sexual health, and are the largest voluntary sector provider of HIV and sexual health services across Great Britain. Both THT and NCB have been campaigning for this change to the way that RSE is taught. These changes will also update the way that personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) is taught. This is the first time an update to RSE since 2000 when statutory guidance to the subject was introduced.
Alistair Lisle, a clerical officer for New Croft Centre, said: “The NHS have just had £1,000,000 taken from their funding. As a result, they have less money to spend on health promotion, and I can only see it getting worse. If sexual health and contraception clinics are to educate a growing population, then they need more funding to do so. For a lot of people sexual health and contraception is still a taboo subject, they are often put off talking about it which makes it difficult for us to educate people.”
With the apparent struggle the NHS is facing, maybe this change to the way that RSE has come at a good time that the education department stepped up to educate young people. RSE should mean that the Government ensure additional and necessary training to new and existing staff who will be teaching RSE, and additional funding for any resources they will need.
While no changes have been made to the statutory guidance that was put in place in 2000 laying out guidelines as to how this subject can be taught. There was a slight change to what teachers could say within lessons made in 2003. In 1986 Margaret Thatcher introduced Section 28, this clause prevented local authorities from intentionally promoting homosexuality, whether that was in schools or published material. Schools had to teach pupils that homosexual relationships were ‘a pretended family relationship’ and promote a heteronormative lifestyle. Unfortunately, as this was only repealed in 2003 there is a concern that some teachers who teach RSE in its current form may still stick to the heteronormative attitude, and not include LGBT in lessons as they were trained while this clause was in place.
The future of how relationship and sex education will be more set out, standardised, and more inclusive. Liam Beattie also said: “Ithink it has to combine providing young people with knowledge, so they actually fully understand, and have the confidence as well.”By teaching young people from an early age it prepares them for the future, allowing them to feel confident, and have enough information to make informed decisions about their sexual health, and ask teachers, NHS professionals, and their parents or carers questions.
