Our response to recent coverage of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)
The RSHE Review
RSHE has been in the news recently, after the Prime Minister announced on 8th March that the Government will review their statutory guidance this year. To be clear, this was already scheduled within the 3-year cycle which was initially agreed to when the guidance was first published in 2019.
We welcome the review of the guidance. It’s important that the guidance is monitored regularly to ensure it’s being implemented effectively across schools. Additionally, it must respond to the increase in misogyny, online hate and anti-LGBTQIA+ discourse and behaviour that young people are being exposed to.
Many teachers still do not feel equipped to deliver RSHE. We hope the government invests in comprehensive teacher training as part of this review, including further guidance on sequencing learning.
Most importantly, we hope the government consults with young people, listening to their experiences and championing their rights. A starting point might be by referring to the Sex Education Forum's evidence and national polling of young people which demonstrates more need for teaching on pornography and LGBTQIA+ relationships.
Misrepresentation
The report that Miriam Cates MP recently released claims that we, and many other RSHE organisations, are using inappropriate materials in schools. These claims are unfounded and deliberately misleading. In one particular example, text from our blog for educators was lifted and claimed that we were teaching it to students. In another example, an individual was claimed to be teaching their content in schools, when in fact they just make content on Instagram, for an adult audience.
None of the organisations included in the report were approached for comment. If we were, we could have pointed out that various claims were untrue and had been taken out of context.
Additionally, the report does not include the views or voices of any young people. We think the people who created it are very out of touch with what young people today are experiencing and exposed to.
Safeguarding
The evidence is clear that comprehensive RSHE is paramount to ensuring the safety of young people. It contributes to tackling gender-based violence, improves sexual health outcomes and reduces discrimination for marginalised groups (likes LGBTQIA+ young people) amongst much more.
The safety of young people is essential at Split Banana. All of our resources are age-appropriate and based on the government guidance.
Our approach
As outlined by both the Children's Commissioner report and the statutory government guidelines, there is a direct need to teach young people about the impacts of pornography, with the average age of exposure at 13.
By having an open and honest conversation about pornography in educational spaces, we can support young people to build up their critical lens. This means if / when they come across it, they are equipped to understand how it might affect their expectations of sex and bodies.
We are specific when talking about types of sex (e.g penis-in-vagina sex) with 15+ year olds because different types of sex carry different risks (e.g STIs, unwanted pregnancies etc). And different people have different types of sex. It's essential that all young people have inclusive information which will keep them safe.
Looking forward
We urge the government to think critically about Cates’ report and its motivations. RSE should not be used as a pawn for people’s political agendas. Young people’s wellbeing is at stake here.
We cannot go back to Section 28, where LGBTQIA+ lives were silenced.
We need comprehensive, inclusive RSHE which reflects and includes the lived experiences of all young people. Research shows that quality RSHE has transformative outcomes. This is what we’re providing for young people.
