Rishi Sunak. File Picture. AFP
London: After a conservative MP claimed students as young as ten are being exposed to ‘graphic lessons’ on oral sex, how to safely choke your partner, masturbation and 72 genders, the government has decided to review how sex education is being taught in UK schools.
While Rishi Sunak promised to look into “inappropriate content,” reports claim that a prominent education union has stated that it has not seen “any evidence” that children are being taught material that is inappropriate for their age. The union reportedly expressed concern about a “politically motivated review” and claimed that it has not seen any such evidence.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Tory MP Miriam Cates said students were being exposed to relationships and sex education classes that are “age inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate”.
In order to “end improper sex education,” the MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge urged Mr. Sunak to launch an impartial investigation.
“Graphic lessons on oral sex, how to choke your partner securely, and 72 genders,” she said in her statement to the Commons. In British schools, sex instruction and relationships look like this.
“Children are being taught lessons that are age inappropriate, extreme, sexualizing, and inaccurate all over the nation, frequently using materials from unrestricted organisations that are actively working to undermine parents.
“This is a catastrophe for childhood, not a triumph for equality.”
The prime minister responded by stating that he had requested the Department for Education “ensure that schools are not teaching inappropriate or contested material” in Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE).
“The safety and wellbeing of children should always come first, and schools should also make curriculum materials and content accessible to parents,” he said.
“We are bringing forward a review of the RSHE statutory guidelines as a result of everything, and we will begin our consultation as soon as possible,” said Sunak.
“We think children should be supported to make informed choices, and those need to be factually based and age appropriate,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said following PMQs.
He emphasised “clear guidance” already exists on external speakers and tools “and that’s something that we want the review to look at”.
However, James Bowen, director of policy for the NAHT, the organisation for school administrators, stated that it was difficult not to be extremely concerned by this statement.
When it comes to relationships and sex education, “the vast majority of schools are doing nothing more than following the government’s own statutory advice.”
The current curriculum “was the topic of extensive consultation before it was introduced,” according to Mr. Bowen.
“No proof that we have found suggests that students being exposed to materials that are inappropriate for their age is a widespread issue, and if it were, we would anticipate that it would have been addressed on a case-by-case basis,” he added.
He added that it is seriously feared that the review is ‘politically motivated’ rather than reflecting the reality of what is occurring in the overwhelming majority of schools across the nation.
“Our plea to the government is to ensure that this review is now handled with the care, sensitivity, and impartiality it requires and to pay close attention to the most crucial voices—those of education professionals and students”.
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