Sex education

On this page: Issues for Church schools | Guidance | Challenging areas | The law | FAQs | Resources

Issues for Church schools

Among the most important issues for Church schools in developing their policies on sex education will be the values framework within which the work is to be set. Great care will need to be taken in consulting with governors and parents in order to ensure that the values used to underpin the school's policy and practice build upon and do not conflict with the ethos statement and the general values of the school.

Governors must decide on or approve the school's policy in this area. Governors are free to decide that the school should not have a formal programme of sex education other than that required by the National Curriculum. If governors make such a decision, they should provide staff with clear practical guidance on how they should respond to pupils' informal questions. They should also consider how the school will support girls during the preparation for and onset of menstruation.

Much of the early work on sex education is informal and is to do with relationships. The quality of the relationships that exist within the school community will be a key factor in the success of such work.

The Government in 2000 enacted an amendment to the Learning and Skills Bill relating to Sex and Relationships Education. The Chairman of the Board of Education, the Bishop of Blackburn, speaking on behalf of the Church of England said:

The amendment makes it clear that school policy on sex and relationship education is a matter for governing bodies and headteachers. That clarification is welcome and will reassure parents. Parents will also welcome the additional protection in the amendment from materials produced by NHS bodies. We welcome the Government's intention to give statutory underpinning to sex and relationship education within a defined values and moral framework. We (and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham) are disappointed at the omission from the Government amendment of any affirmation of the place of marriage and we look to the forthcoming guidance to state clearly the importance for all pupils of positive teaching about marriage.

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Guidance

Most governing bodies will decide that their school will provide a coherent, well-balanced programme of sex education that reflects the age and maturity of the pupils and the particular needs of both girls and boys. They will wish to ensure that parents have been consulted and are kept fully informed about the programme.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from those aspects of sex education that are not part of the National Curriculum. If there are parents who exercise this right care will need to be taken to ensure that they are informed of not only when sex education is being provided for the other pupils in their children's classes or year groups, but also what ground is being covered. This is so that they can be prepared for questions that their children may ask as a result of informal peer group discussion outside the classroom.

General guidance on sex education and the right of withdrawal can also be found in the Department for Education Circular 5/94 paragraphs 35-42.

Sex is not only a given fact of human existence but, in Christian belief, a gift of God as part of creation. It is important that, as they grow up, children come to an understanding of their own bodies, instincts and feelings. In this way they will be prepared for the opportunities, joys and responsibilities of permanent relationships of the opposite sex. Misunderstanding and misinformation can lead to diminution and distortion of human relationships, resulting in a debasing of human existence which has been given value and status through the Incarnation of our Lord. Children from both happy and unhappy marriages and homes need to glimpse something of the wonder and security of family life as the proper context of sexual expression, and to grasp the Christian values of acceptances, forgiveness and loving another 'as yourself'.

Working from this basis, older pupils can then be enabled to acquire a deeper understanding of the full range of human sexuality. The Board believes that a right understanding and attitude to sex can lead to a positive sense of personal identity and value. In this context it should not be forgotten that, in the Christian tradition, celibacy has been valued and commended - not only within the context of religious communities.

The nature of Christian marriage recognizes that true sexual fulfilment requires maturity, self-discipline, a will to work for the other person and the resisting of exploitation. Equally Christian thinking recognizes the existence of failure, judgement and the need for forgiveness and reconciliation. As the pupils mature and become more sexually aware, the Church school can make a distinctive and unique contribution to sex education by placing it within a Christian context of love, faithfulness and forgiveness. A programme of sex education allows pupils to explore an increasing awareness of their individual and social responsibility before God.

In this way they will become aware of their responsibility not only for themselves but also for those whom they love and the people with whom they live and work. They will become deeply aware of the importance of reconciliation and forgiveness in their own lives. Regardless of background, behaviour and sexual orientation, pupils are to be caringly accepted within the Church school.

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The process of developing a new policy in a Church school

A number of threads need to be brought together as part of the process of developing a new policy for sex and relationships education in a Church school.

1. The school ethos statement and the mission statement or statement of aims derived from it will always provide a framework for new policy development in a Church school. They incorporate the school's theology and its understanding of how it interprets being the Church school serving its community.
2. From that last sentence flows the second of the threads - knowledge of the local community. The school should not unwittingly undermine teaching already being provided by parents or other groups, but should work in partnership to consolidate and to fill gaps in knowledge. Where the school is compelled, through its theological insight or the content of the National Curriculum, to teach something with which some parents may disagree or about which they will have concerns, this should be done sensitively, knowingly and after a full and detailed explanation. Another aspect of knowing the local community will involve being alert to areas where some pupils or parents could be embarrassed or demeaned by what is being said by the school. Teaching about the nature of marriage, for example, will need sensitive handling; it should not, however, be avoided, indeed it cannot be avoided as it is a legal requirement.
3. A further thread is the combination of the legal requirements and the statutory guidance. Schools must be aware of both these. Key staff and governors should be familiar with the detailed contents of the guidance.
4. All class teachers in primary schools and all form tutors in secondary schools will be making some contribution to the programme of sex and relationships education offered in the school, if only because they are likely to be natural recipients of pupils' question. Also involved will be those staff whose level of pastoral responsibility or curriculum expertise make them key figures in the policy. Some support staff, particularly those concerned with pupil welfare will be involved together with the whole governing body at least at the point where they approve the policy for use in the school.
5. In the broader area served by the school there will be specialists employed by the health service either in community health on the promotion of health education. They should be invited to make a contribution to policy development as they will often be invited to make a contribution to the delivery of the policy.
6. Parents should be included in the consultation process and invited to make their contribution to the overall process. In addition wherever a specific piece of teaching is being undertaken in this area parents should be invited to hear a presentation about what is being taught and how it will be presented to their children. This should enable them to support what is being attempted. It may encourage them to talk to their child about the topic. It should ensure that any parent withdrawing their child from sex and relationships education does so in full knowledge of the facts.
7. Sex and relationships education is very dependent on the wider context provided by PSHE and the links to other curriculum areas. For example, in English, the way in which relationships between characters are discussed will be important, as will the way the human body is viewed and discussed in art or science.

Where all these strands are assembled and the school is able to use them to produce a well crafted policy for sex and relationships education this will need to be supported by:

• appropriate training for the staff involved in delivering the programme
• adequate curriculum time when this is needed
• appropriate resources for the teaching
• a growing confidence in the work amongst all staff.

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The definition in the DfEE (now DfES) guidance

On page 5 of the guidance, a definition of sex and relationship education is provided. In order to assist the flow of this section, it is reproduced in full below but where the original has bullet points, numbers have been inserted and where it has dashes, letter have been inserted. The reasons for this change will be apparent later in the section.

The first question that needs to be asked is what needs to be added to this text to provide an adequate definition for a Church school. This would be a useful exercise in a staff meeting or governors meeting on the subject. Below is listed some possible responses to the question.

First, there is not a spiritual dimension in this definition, yet for Christians, at least, it is the spiritual dimension informed by an understanding of and response to the Gospel which helps to form our understanding of who and what we are. In particular it helps to form our conscience and it informs our response to moral challenges or dilemmas.

Second, the definition does not seem to allow for failure. It appears to assume that a well 'educated' person in terms of sex and relationships will not make wrong choices. It can be argued that it is not the purpose of a definition to indicate what constitutes failure. Schools, however, must equip pupils to deal with both success and failure, therefore schools will need to go further than the definition appears to imply. For example, part of maturity is learning to deal with failure in ourselves and in others. In strong relationships mistakes or wrong choices (sin) can be followed by repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation. Teaching about this will be an essential element in any sex and relationships education programme. Without forgiveness and reconciliation there is only brokenness, hurt and disaster. Without learning how to be forgiven there is only guilt and pain.

Third, there is a key stage in understanding and responding to our own sexuality, which is not clear and could be missing in the thinking behind this definition. Most young people discover simply and naturally the nature of their sexuality. For some it can be more difficult, a small number never clarify satisfactorily for themselves whether they are heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual.

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Challenging areas

Teachers will continue to be concerned that they do not inadvertently use inappropriate materials or respond to questions in a way which offends parents.

Some parents will continue to state their preference for sex education not being given in school.

The maturity of pupils varies within each class and teachers will also have to be sensitive to the attitudes and experiences pupils bring to school. Appendix 2 of Citizenship at key stages 3 and 4: initial guidance for schools (QCA, 2000) is entitled Guidance on the teaching of controversial issues. See www.qca.gov.uk for details of publication.

The law

The law regarding sex education in general can be found in the Education Act 1996 Part V, Chapter 4, sections 403-404. The law as regards the right of the parent to withdraw their child from any or all parts of the school's programme of sex education originates form section 241 of the Education Act 1993. However, more recently, this can be found in the Education Act 1996 Part V, Chapter 4, section 405.

The requirements of the law are also found in The Learning and Skills Act 2000 Clause 117. The key objectives of the Act in relation to sex education are:

• to make clear that local education authorities have no power in determining sex education in schools;
• to place the responsibility for sex education in schools firmly on teachers and school governors;
• to put in place a requirement that schools should be statutorily obliged to have regard to the guidance;
• to require NHS bodies to have regard to the guidance on any material they produce for use in schools on sex education and sexual health;
• to reaffirm the rights of parents to withdraw their children from sex education.

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FAQs

Can parents withdraw their children from all sex education?

They are not able to withdraw their children from the National Curriculum and, therefore, are not able to withdraw their children from those aspects of sex education that occur as part of the National Curriculum.

Do parents have the right to see the teaching materials used?

Schools should invite parents to see and discuss the resources used for teaching about sex education. The Learning and Skills Act ensures that governors properly consult parents in developing their school's curriculum. Health authorities, too, will be required to work within the DfEE (now DfES) guidance.

The Secretary of State says, "The major concern of parents is one of protection of young people from inappropriate teaching and materials. The Act requires that health authorities ensure that any material they send to schools is in line with the new DfEE guidance."

Resources

Many of the resources published by the Sex Education Forum will be useful to schools in developing their policies and programmes. Full details can be obtained from:

The Sex Education Forum
The National Children's Bureau
8, Wakely Street
London, EC1V 7QE

or via the website at www.ncb.org.uk (click on 'Sex Education Forum').