The UK government will publish new guidelines on Thursday which will ban schools from teaching sex education to children under nine. A source confirmed that the guidelines would also ban the teaching of gender identity at a younger age. Teachers, if asked, must state clearly that the contested nature of gender ideology. The UK government is currently reviewing the statutory guidelines on relationships and sex education, which all schools must follow by law. This review was prompted by concerns over inappropriate content that some children have been exposed to.
While the National Association of Head Teachers suggests that the review is politically motivated and that no widespread problem had presented itself to suggest that pupils were receiving sex education at inappropriate ages, the government believes that clearer guidance would reassure parents and provide support to teachers. The new guidelines will clarify which topics should be taught to students at what ages.
The UK government’s proposals have been met with mixed reactions from head teachers. Rebecca Leek, the head of the Suffolk Primary Headteachers’ Association, believes that the proposals would make little difference as sex education tends not to be taught in primary schools until Year 6 when children are older. Furthermore, parents already have the right to withdraw their child from the curriculum if they wish. On the other hand, Pepe Di’Iasio, headteacher at a school in Rotherham, believes that pupils are being used as political footballs and that the changes would be better implemented if decisions were based on well-informed and evidence-based data rather than politicised ideas.
Secondary schools in the UK are already required to teach relationships, sex and health education, while relationships education has been compulsory in primary schools since September 2020. Under current guidance, primary schools are not required to include sex education in their teachings, but the updated guidelines will clarify what schools should teach and to which age group. In 2020, more than 50 Conservative MPs contacted Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asserting that children were being taught radical and unsupported ideas about sex and gender. Last year, teachers were told that consultation with parents was necessary in cases where a child wished to change their gender identity at school
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