We want to make sure that young people can make informed decisions about their health, wellbeing and relationships, in a sensitive way that is appropriate for their age. Parents need to have confidence in what their children are being taught in the classroom about relationships sex and health education (RSHE) and schools have a duty to share teaching materials. To ensure young people continue to be taught about these issues appropriately, we are also reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance for schools and education settings. What is RSHE and what do pupils learn? RSHE stands for relationsh ..read more

We want to make sure that young people understand what healthy relationships look like and how to navigate their personal lives in a positive, safe and healthy way. That’s why we introduced the statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum. Below we outline what you need to know about RSHE. What is RSHE? Since September 2020, Relationships Education has been compulsory for all pupils receiving primary education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) for all pupils receiving secondary education. Health Education is now compulsory in all schools too. In primary schools ..read more

Bullying in any form is unacceptable and can have a devastating effect on children, young people and their families. That’s why, as anti-bullying week continues, we have confirmed funding for five leading organisations, worth over £1m in total, to support schools and colleges as part of their responsibility to tackle all forms bullying. We have also launched a new mental health support scheme for school leaders, which will help promote teachers’ wellbeing. Here’s everything you need to know about the new measures announced today. 1. So, what have we announced today? Thousands of schools in En ..read more

After the Everyone’s Invited movement shone a light on worrying stories of sexual abuse in our schools, we asked Ofsted to carry out a review. Ofsted’s review found that in some cases, incidents of harassment and abuse have been ‘normalised’ by their frequency. Of the 900 children and young people surveyed by the review, the majority had experienced the receipt of unsolicited images or sexist comments – whether in person at school or college, or online or via mobile phone. This is completely unacceptable so we are taking clear action. We’re supporting teachers to spot abuse and harassment Sch ..read more

Sexual abuse in any form is unacceptable. Following the concerning reports provided to the Everyone’s Invited website, detailing incidents of sexual assault in schools and colleges, the Government is taking immediate steps to support to those affected and ensure all schools are safe places. That is why we are working with the NSPCC to launch a dedicated helpline for victims of sexual abuse to provide support and guidance. The dedicated NSPCC Helpline - Report Abuse in Education – launched today (Thursday 1 April) and can be contacted by phone on 0800 136 663, or by emailing  help@nspcc.o ..read more

We made relationships education compulsory for all primary and secondary aged pupils for the first time from September of last year. The new relationships, sex, and health education (RSHE) curriculum has been designed to make sure young people learn about respect, consent and privacy. They should understand about why challenging stereotypes is important and learn about healthy relationships from an early age. The curriculum starts with relationships and health education for primary aged pupils and includes sex education for secondary aged pupils. The new curriculum was designed after thorough ..read more

Despite the unprecedented challenges the global Covid pandemic has created this year, the Department for Education has been delivering on the Government’s promise to provide world-class education, training and care for everyone, whatever their background. Investing in schools and teachers We said we would provide schools with more funding and we have invested an extra £14.4 billion in funding for schools, in total, over the three years to 2022-23. In June, we committed over £1 billion to fund the first 50 projects of a new, ten-year school rebuilding programme, starting from 2020-21. In 2020 ..read more

Today’s Education in the Media blog looks at a survey carried out by Bett, The British Educational Training and Technology show, on teacher preparedness for the new Relationships and Sex Education curriculum. Survey on Relationships and Sex Education In December 2019, Bett, the British Educational Training and Technology show, ran a survey through the Teacher Tapp app on teacher preparedness ahead of the introduction of compulsory relationships education for all primary pupils and compulsory relationships and sex education (RSE) for all secondary pupils. The survey found that 46% of primary s ..read more

Today’s Education in the Media blog covers the latest on the new Relationships and Sex Education curriculum, as well as responding to a Guardian story on the use of non-disclosure agreements by schools. Relationships and Sex Education Today, Tuesday 6 August, the Guardian has published a comment piece by Colin Diamond, professor of educational leadership at the University of Birmingham, in response to protests against the teaching of LGBT rights that have been taking place outside schools in Birmingham in recent months. A Department for Education spokesperson said: Relationships, Sex and Hea ..read more

Today’s Education in the Media blog looks at the coverage of equalities teaching in Birmingham. Equalities Education Today, Friday 26 July, the BBC is reporting on the subject of teaching LGBT equalities in schools. This follows a recent BBC Panorama programme, which looked in detail at the debate around Relationship and Sex Education, specifically in Birmingham, where there have seen several protests over the issue. The story ran on Radio Four’s Today programme and BBC Breakfast this morning and is also running on BBC News channel and BBC Online. A Department for Education spokesperson said ..read more