Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Scottish Government submission of 6 January 2022
PE1918/A – Improve sex education in schools
Thank you for your e-mail of 9 December 2021 on behalf of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee regarding Petition PE1918 seeking to improve sex education in schools. I am replying as I am responsible for relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education policy in the Scottish curriculum.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring all children and young people receive high quality RSHP education, an integral part of the health and wellbeing area of the Scottish curriculum, which has been in place since 2010. The curriculum is not mandatory, it is up to teachers to decide which resources they use to deliver relevant and engaging learning. However, we are specific about the need for children and young people to gain knowledge appropriate to their age and stage of education. The aim of RSHP education is help children and young people build positive, safe and healthy relationships as they grow older and content should be delivered in a nonjudgemental manner, within a framework of sound values and an awareness of the law, including that on sexual behaviour.
There are many resources available to teachers to help them deliver meaningful RSHP learning. One such resource, www.rshp.scot, was developed and published by a collaborative partnership of health boards and local authorities, to help improve delivery of the existing curriculum. It provides teachers with a valuable resource to support children and young people's learning and understanding in RSHP education. The resource provides teachers with factual information about sexual and reproductive health, in a nonjudgemental manner, to enable children and young people to make informed decisions about their lives. In developing the resource, it was ensured learning outcomes remained age appropriate in all Curriculum for Excellence levels.
All of the content available from this online resource was quality assured and peer reviewed by a partnership of educators, health professionals and third sector organisations. The resource was also informed by extensive feedback over the 2018/19 academic year. Draft content was posted online during 2018 and educators, parents and carers were encouraged to comment and use the drafts. This allowed for a process of review and refinement until final content was agreed and the resource was published in September 2019. As well as an open process that allowed anyone to contribute, a number of schools were recruited as pilot settings. During this period the resource was informed by over 1,000 primary and secondary teachers and piloted in 38 schools across the country.
In terms of the areas highlighted in the petition, the resource contains age appropriate learning activities covering each of these areas as well as a host of other areas deemed suitable in delivering holistic, age appropriate RSHP learning. I have included links to these below:
However, the use of these resources remains a matter for individual schools and teachers to decide on, based on the needs of the pupils in their classroom.
The Scottish Government is also committed, through recommendations of both the PSE Review and LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group, to updating the current RSHP teaching guidance. We have consulted over 30 key stakeholders and have made good progress in revising the current teaching guidance, to ensure it is fit for purpose. It is expected the revised guidance will be issued for pubic consultation in the New Year.