Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how their forthcoming Relationships Education implementation guide will (1) clarify the importance of Relationships and Sex Education within Relationships Education, and (2) support schools to develop inclusive practice in this regard.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The new subjects of relationships education (for primary age pupils), relationships and sex education (for secondary age pupils) and health education (for all pupils in state-funded schools) will become compulsory in September 2020. Many schools are already teaching aspects of these subjects as part of their sex and relationship education provision or personal, social, health and economic education programme. Schools have flexibility to determine how to deliver the new content in the context of a broad and balanced curriculum.
The department is committed to supporting teachers to teach the new subjects with confidence, and to a high quality which is why we are developing a central programme of support for schools for these subjects, which will be available to all teachers from spring 2020.
Our programme of support will offer opportunities for teachers to improve subject knowledge, build confidence and access classroom resources. We will ensure that all of the department’s materials supporting implementation of the new subjects are inclusive, and recognise fully the need to disseminate the good practice in teaching about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships that is seen in large numbers of our schools as well as the importance of reflecting the needs of pupils with a special educational need or disability when planning the curriculum for these subjects. Our budget this year of up to £6 million for implementing the new subjects will ensure that this support for teachers will be accessed through a new online service and will include an implementation guide. This will accompany the statutory guidance, case studies from other schools, access to quality assured resources and innovative materials to support staff training.
Training for teachers will also be available through existing regional networks, and we are working with expert organisations, schools and teachers to develop this package. The department is also working with ‘early adopter schools’, some of whom have chosen to start teaching some or all of the new content early, in order to support their journey, learn lessons and share good practice. Last year we held 4 national conferences for those schools who are ‘early adopter schools’.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide a detailed breakdown of the £6 million committed expenditure on Relationships and Sex Education in 2019–20.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The new subjects of relationships education (for primary age pupils), relationships and sex education (for secondary age pupils) and health education (for all pupils in state-funded schools) will become compulsory in September 2020. Many schools are already teaching aspects of these subjects as part of their sex and relationship education provision or personal, social, health and economic education programme. Schools have flexibility to determine how to deliver the new content in the context of a broad and balanced curriculum.
The department is committed to supporting teachers to teach the new subjects with confidence, and to a high quality which is why we are developing a central programme of support for schools for these subjects, which will be available to all teachers from spring 2020.
Our programme of support will offer opportunities for teachers to improve subject knowledge, build confidence and access classroom resources. We will ensure that all of the department’s materials supporting implementation of the new subjects are inclusive, and recognise fully the need to disseminate the good practice in teaching about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships that is seen in large numbers of our schools as well as the importance of reflecting the needs of pupils with a special educational need or disability when planning the curriculum for these subjects. Our budget this year of up to £6 million for implementing the new subjects will ensure that this support for teachers will be accessed through a new online service and will include an implementation guide. This will accompany the statutory guidance, case studies from other schools, access to quality assured resources and innovative materials to support staff training.
Training for teachers will also be available through existing regional networks, and we are working with expert organisations, schools and teachers to develop this package. The department is also working with ‘early adopter schools’, some of whom have chosen to start teaching some or all of the new content early, in order to support their journey, learn lessons and share good practice. Last year we held 4 national conferences for those schools who are ‘early adopter schools’.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the readiness of schools to implement the statutory teaching of Relationships and Sex Education from September 2020.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The new subjects of relationships education (for primary age pupils), relationships and sex education (for secondary age pupils) and health education (for all pupils in state-funded schools) will become compulsory in September 2020. Many schools are already teaching aspects of these subjects as part of their sex and relationship education provision or personal, social, health and economic education programme. Schools have flexibility to determine how to deliver the new content in the context of a broad and balanced curriculum.
The department is committed to supporting teachers to teach the new subjects with confidence, and to a high quality which is why we are developing a central programme of support for schools for these subjects, which will be available to all teachers from spring 2020.
Our programme of support will offer opportunities for teachers to improve subject knowledge, build confidence and access classroom resources. We will ensure that all of the department’s materials supporting implementation of the new subjects are inclusive, and recognise fully the need to disseminate the good practice in teaching about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships that is seen in large numbers of our schools as well as the importance of reflecting the needs of pupils with a special educational need or disability when planning the curriculum for these subjects. Our budget this year of up to £6 million for implementing the new subjects will ensure that this support for teachers will be accessed through a new online service and will include an implementation guide. This will accompany the statutory guidance, case studies from other schools, access to quality assured resources and innovative materials to support staff training.
Training for teachers will also be available through existing regional networks, and we are working with expert organisations, schools and teachers to develop this package. The department is also working with ‘early adopter schools’, some of whom have chosen to start teaching some or all of the new content early, in order to support their journey, learn lessons and share good practice. Last year we held 4 national conferences for those schools who are ‘early adopter schools’.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recommendations of the December 2015 report of the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee <i>Transgender Equality</i>, when they plan to publish (1) a new, cross-departmental transgender equality action plan, and (2) a balance sheet of the previous transgender action plan along with a new strategy to tackle those issues which remain unaddressed.
Answered by Lord Nash
On the 7th July 2016 the Government responded to the Women and Equalities Select Committee inquiry on transgender equality. In this, we committed to publishing an update on progress against “Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality: Moving Forward (2011)”; and “Advancing transgender equality: a plan for action (2011)”.
The Government also committed to producing a new action plan on transgender equality.
The Government will publish both of these documents in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the School Information Management System records the names of transgender children in such a way as to protect their privacy.
Answered by Lord Nash
The department does not give specific guidance to schools about recording the names of transgender children. The operational arrangements as to how information is recorded and protected within a school’s own information management system are for them to decide locally.
The department advises in its equalities guidance for schools that they must protect from discrimination because of gender reassignment, and address any issues early on, sensitively and proactively. The equalities guidance links to further helpful transgender guidance written by a partnership of bodies in Cornwall, which schools might like to follow.