Relationships and sex education: ensuring entitlement

Last week both the End Violence Against Women Coalition and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner called on government to improve the quality of relationships and sex education (RSE). These reports came hot on the heels of Ofsted’s subject report which concluded RSE is still not good enough and is one of the weaker elements of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). Not long before that the Association of Teachers and Lecturers passed a resolution that young people must be taught about pornography in schools.

Not a week goes by without expert opinion demonstrating that more needs to be done to improve the quality and quantity of RSE in schools. There is a broad consensus that PSHE is a vital part of a well rounded education for children and young people. And rightly so - all children and young people have an entitlement to learn about relationships, emotions, sex and sexuality. This is set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ratified in 1989.

Department for Education is repeatedly quoted as saying that SRE (RSE) is compulsory in all state maintained schools. This is a slight misrepresentation.  Some aspects are included in science and in addition secondary schools have to include as a minimum HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.  The relationships part is not a statutory requirement.  All state maintained schools do have to have regard for the Sex and Relationship Education guidance published in 2000 (0116/2000) if they choose to deliver SRE beyond the statutory requirements.  The guidance does not apply to Free Schools and Academies.
Teaching about relationships and sex should be a normal part of everyday life, but the quality of teaching and learning on this issue in schools has been hampered by politicisation and a lack of willingness from successive governments to make it a statutory part of the curriculum. Over the last 25 years since the Sex Education Forum was established much has been learnt about best practice and there is an increasing evidence base of effectiveness. This must now be used in our work with schools to ensure entitlement for all.

Despite the consensus that PSHE is important it has too often remained on the edges of the curriculum and too many teachers do not get the training and support they need at initial training or in service. The net result is patchy provision – excellent in some schools and non-existent or poor in others which simply isn't acceptable in any subject.

Research with children and young people shows time and again their RSE does not meet all of their needs - that it is too little, too late and too biological. A major survey carried out by UKYP and a recent poll by Brook showed the majority of young people believe more needs to be taught about relationships and real life dilemmas. Qualitative research recently carried out by Brook shows that young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people often feel invisible at best. Worst still some experience explicit prejudice in the classroom from peers and adults.

A vocal and tiny minority still perceive RSE as fuelling early sexual activity despite all the evidence to the contrary. On the flip side RSE is increasingly seen by a wide range of groups as a critical antidote to a number of society's ills - from reducing teenage pregnancy to preventing infections, abuse, violence and exploitation including homophobia.

It is of course welcome that RSE is recognised as playing a vital role in improving public health and reducing violence and this is an important driver for change. All children and young people must receive a core educational entitlement of RSE that provides information, develops their core skills of communication, assertiveness and negotiation and develops positive beliefs and values including self respect and respect for others. This is fundamental to enable children and young people to develop and grow with confidence from puberty into adolescence and adulthood. The success is best measured through effective assessment of pupils learning.

The educational inspectorate Ofsted recently reiterated yet again there is a gap between the rhetoric of high quality SRE for all, and the reality of patchy provision in primary and secondary schools across the UK. The gap is one that urgently needs filling.

The expectations of what SRE can achieve place must be understood in the context of wider social norms and interventions.RSE is not a panacea for society’s ills, but it makes an important contribution to creating an open and honest culture which is safe and nurturing for all.

Government has resolutely devolved responsibility to schools to design and deliver SRE that meets the needs of their pupils. This creates an exciting opportunity to work with leaders at a local level ensuring we focus on the important questions of how do we do it, what success will look like for pupils and how we will know if it what is offered is good enough for all children and young people in all types of school.

Clueless to some: reasonable to others

I grew up in Cornwall by the sea. I am there now, overlooking the beach and talking to a few old friends who know what I do. As you would expect given the last few weeks comments ranging from 'saw you in the paper; heard you on the radio; what's that MP woman on about?/she's got a point you know; why should/n't Life be on the group?

And as I listened and talked to liberal people, it becomes more and more clear that even though the majority of people in the UK are pro-choice, want to make sure children are not 'sexualised' early and want good sex and relationships education at home and school, Nadine Dorries call for 'abstinence education for young women' has come across as reasonable to some, even though it is clear to some experts in sex and relationships education that she is clueless.

And the difficulty we have is that whilst there is no evidence that abstinence education (for girls and or boys) works, all of us would agree that we want young people - women and men - to be able to say no to sex unless they are ready to enjoy and take responsibility for it. So Dorries is linking an outcome we would all agree with (being able to say no to sex), with an input that the evidence doesn't support (abstinence education). And so for the average joe on the street, her argument can sound reasonable. And that is especially true when it is combined with fear generated from confident stories of seven year olds being taught to put condoms on a banana (who would want that IF it happened) and that sex and relationships education doesn't include saying no (where it doesn't include saying no it isn't good SRE).

So whether we like or not the majority in support of SRE need to have soundbites - a simple narrative that reassures parents, carers and others worried about sexualisation, who reads the papers and believes that people are having sex earlier and earlier and teenage pregnancy rates are rocketing (neither is true). As I understand it from the parents I have spoken to today they need to be reassured that SRE is a good thing, that it helps prepare children to move from puberty through to adolescence confidently, that the evidence shows that good quality SRE actually delays sex and equips young people to negotiate and use contraception when they choose to have sex. And that it reassures them that sex and relationships education is a sensible part of the solution to TP, STIs and sexualisation, not part of the problem.

So the task we have on our hands is a major task of education about what sex and relationships education is, and a real imperative not to be clumsy with language about these issues.

A decade ago, I visited the USA to learn more about their work to teach young people about sex (or not) and it was clear that it wasn't working then - luckily Obama finally listened to the evidence and withdrew funding. To summarise some of the things I learnt;

don't mix up abstinence with abstinence education - abstinence - not having sex is fine, good, proper and healthy. Abstinence education is not fine, good, proper or healthy because its value base is wrong and there is no evidence to support it.

recognise there is no such thing as an 'abstinence based approach to sex and relationships education' - abstinence education is different in values and approach than sex and relationships education.

good quality sex and relationships education should be called sex and relationships education, full stop. Comprehensive sex and relationships education makes it sound like there is a different sort - non comprehensive. There isn't, sex and relationships education is either good quality or it isn't. If it isn't comprehensive then it isn't good quality. When it is good quality it includes relationships, real life dilemmas, saying yes, saying no, saying maybe.

we must not allow the public to misunderstand what sex and relationships is about, what it includes, how it is delivered and to believe that it only focuses on sex.

we must ensure everyone knows that parents are/should be the first sex educator, that children want them to be; and that schools and youth services work in partnership with parents to ensure children and young people get a rounded education, as you would expect in all other walks of life - maths, food, diet, safety etc. The myth that some perpetuate that parents are undermined by education about sex and relationships is pernicious

The full report is available from from National Children's Bureau - Just Say No! to sex and relationships education; Blake and Frances (2001)

Finally, it is probably time we stopped talking about changing the order of the words from sex and relationships education, to relationships and sex education, and just do it. If we do that it seems there will be more time to actually do the work - after all, we must not mistake the process (talking about SRE/RSE) for the task (delivering SRE/RSE).

The Bailey Review on sexualisation is published on Monday - let's hope that recognises that RSE is part of the solution to help children grow up confident about relationships and sex, and that it recognises the excellent work that programmes like the FPA's Speakeasy programme helping parents get confident talking about sex and relationships do.

Follow us on twitter @simonablake, @besexpositive, @brookcharity or on facebook: brookcharity