Best Practice

Relationships education: What should we expect?

Pastoral issues Safeguarding PSHE Government policy
The campaign has been long and difficult, but at last those determined to see the introduction of statutory relationships and sex education have been rewarded. What can primary headteachers expect now as the discussions and consultations set in? Suzanne O’Connell reports

On March 1, 2017, education secretary Justine Greening made the announcement that relationships and sex education (RSE) will be compulsory in all schools in England from September 2019. For around 30 years there has been a campaign to make RSE statutory but its pace and strength had grown recently. Associations, such as the Sex Education Forum, had been joined by House of Commons Select Committees in calling for official status for this very important part of the curriculum.

Until now, Department for Education (DfE) resistance had been firm. As recently as February 2016, the then education secretary Nicky Morgan stated clearly that sex and relationships education would not be compulsory in all schools. Undeterred, the campaign continued.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting Headteacher Update and reading some of our content for professionals in primary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcasts

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here