The new relationships, sex, and health education (RSHE) curriculum (DfE, 2019) was established in 2020 to keep students safe, after decades of campaigning.
For the first time in UK history, it ensured important topics were mandatory in all schools, including consent, body autonomy, and how to recognise and combat coercive behaviours.
Many schools have worked so hard to embrace this curriculum. However, teachers have been put in a challenging position as a political “row”, fueled by the media, has unnecessarily jeopardised this curriculum and compounded prejudices – and in doing so has risked the safety of young people across the country. Here’s how teachers can overcome this.
Some politicians and mainstream media outlets have highlighted a few relationships and sex education (RSE) lessons that have upset students or parents, painting a picture that these rare exceptions are indicative of deep-rooted flaws in the wider RSHE curriculum and within the sector. What is worse, these claims are often unfounded and the way they are presented aim to shock and anger, rather than shine a light on a genuine problem.
