Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Rupa Huq Excerpts
Monday 12th June 2023

(11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nick Gibb Portrait Nick Gibb
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My right hon. Friend raises an important point about the appropriateness of materials being used in schools to teach relationships, health and sex education. We have been concerned about reports on that, which is why my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all schools to remind them of their duty to share teaching materials with parents, and why we brought forward the review of the RHSE guidance. There is no right to withdraw children from relationships education, but there is a right for parents to withdraw their children from sex education in the RHSE curriculum.

Rupa Huq Portrait Dr Rupa Huq (Ealing Central and Acton) (Lab)
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Since 1985, girls and boys from nursery age to right up to pre-university have been educated at the King Fahad Academy in East Acton. Imagine the shock of parents, pupils and staff to be told last month that none of them are coming back in September because the Saudi Government, who fund it, are pulling the plug. Could the Secretary of State urgently intervene, at least to provide some basic certainty to a stunned community? Even the road layouts around there were conceived around the school. It could mean 500 kids left in the lurch after summer.

Nick Gibb Portrait Nick Gibb
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I am happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss this issue in more detail.