Family & Education
Lords back new relationships and sex education policy which includes LGBT content
Children should be aware that 'some people are LGBT' according to Department for Education guidance
April 25, 2019 09:31
Children should be aware that 'some people are LGBT' according to Department for Education guidance
April 25, 2019 09:31The House of Lords has approved proposals for relationships and sex education which include teaching about LGBT issues in schools.
The policy will come into force for all schools in September 2020, despite lobbying by a number of conservative religious groups opposed to it.
Lord Agnew, the minister responsible for faith schools, said in a debate in the Lords on Wednesday that the guidelines had the “strong support” of the Board of Deputies as well as the Church of England and Catholic Education Service.
But the subject has sparked heated debate within the Charedi community. While Chinuch UK, the body set up to represent strictly Orthodox schools, believes the RSE proposals impose no more than existing equality law already, others in the community argue they will lead to increased pressure on their education system from Ofsted.
Charedi activist Shraga Stern, a vocal opponent of government proposals on relationships and sex education, has said he would explore the possibility of a legal challenge to the proposals.
Lord Agnew said there was “no reason why teaching children about the diverse society that we live in, and the different types of loving and healthy relationships, cannot be done in a way that respects everybody’s views”
Schools should ensure that “all pupils understand the importance of equality and respect, in particular respect for difference,” he said.
The new guidance was “clear on the teaching about LGBT relationships expected in secondary schools and encouraged in primary, while retaining the flexibility for headteachers to respond to the needs of their own schools.”
According to the Department for Education guidelines, schools should deliver LGBT content at a “timely point” during a child’s education although how and when is up to them.
Parents can request their children be withdrawn from the sex education component of RSE until 15, after which it is up to children themselves.
The DfE guidelines say pupils should understand “that some people are LGBT, that this should be respected in British society, and that the law affords them and their relationships recognition and protections”.
Lord Agnew said schools must consult parents over the contents of their RSE curriculum but emphasised that the DfE guidelines were statutory and could not be ignored.
RSE would be taken into account by Ofsted, he said.
While some peers raised concerns over aspects of the guidelines, he assured them the teaching of RSE would be reviewed by the DfE every three years.
The crossbench peer Baroness Deech, who is Jewish, said the new regulations were welcome “because they say that misogyny and homophobia must not be tolerated”.
They did not say “any particular way of life must be promoted or forced on children—far from it, “she added.
“In fact, as I read it, the guidance strongly supports marriage and parental guidance. Parents should not fear because, if they have a different viewpoint to whatever is taught in school, they can point out to their children at home that they do not approve of it.
“However, that does not mean that the existence of different lifestyles and sexualities should not be taught in school.”
But Labour peer Lord Watson of Invergowrie believed the equality requirements did not go far enough.
“The guidance falls short of requiring schools to teach the acceptance of LGBT people and lifestyles,” he said, “and gives encouragement to those few schools that might wish to omit LGBT content completely, which is unacceptable.”
Judith Nemeth, director of the Values Foundation, which has campaigned on behalf of religious groups worried about the proposals, said the outcome was "not unexpected".
The foundation would continue to try to ensure that concerns were addressed, she said, and that "faith and family values are given due consideration in further policy-making".
