BHA: Government u-turn on children’s rights to sex and relationships education

The British Humanist Association (BHA) and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England have condemned a new Government amendment to its own Children, Schools and Families Bill, describing it as discriminatory.

The amendment to the Bill, tabled by the Secretary of State Ed Balls, would permit state-funded “faith schools” to teach PSHE, which includes Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), “in a way that reflects the school’s religious character”.

Andrew Copson, BHA Chief Executive, said, ‘The Government’s amendment to the Children, Schools and Families Bill effectively provides an opt-out for faith schools from teaching full, comprehensive and objective Sex and Relationships Education. This is a U-Turn from the original commitment in the Bill which put a duty on schools to teach SRE in ways that promote equality, diversity and rights, in ways that are sensitive to the children’s backgrounds, rather than the schools’.

‘Allowing schools to teach SRE in ways skewed towards their religious character could in practice lead to subjective and narrow teaching, depriving up to a third of pupils from the objective SRE which their friends in community schools will receive as of right. We are particularly concerned how faith schools will teach about crucial issues such as contraception, safe sex, and different sexualities.’

‘By attempting to alter its own Bill in this way, the Government is going against what parents, young people and experts want, trading children’s rights for the support of a minority religious lobby. This, together with allowing parents to take their children out of SRE lessons altogether, will undoubtedly have a grossly negative impact on those vulnerable young people who need comprehensive SRE from a young age most.’

Carolyne Willow, National coordinator of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England said, ‘This amendment was completely unnecessary as there is already provision in the Bill for PSHE to take into account different perspectives, including religious beliefs. It is absolutely vital that sex and relationships education funded by the State occurs within the context of commitment to equality and respect for diversity; anything less is discriminatory.’

Notes

For further comment or information, please contact Andrew Copson on 07534 248596, or andrew@humanism.org.uk

Good SRE is known to reduce unwanted pregnancies, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections, and equip young people with the language and tools to be clear about personal boundaries, understand appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, to be able to resist pressure assertively and to know who to talk to and how to ask for help if and when they need it. For older children it helps them resist pressure, make safe choices and be able to challenge and be critical of misleading and inappropriate messages about sex in the media.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief. The BHA contributes to debate on a wide range of ethical issues from stem cell research to sex education. The BHA is a member of the National Children’s Bureau Sex Education Forum (SEF) and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England.