Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance is provided to schools to ensure that HIV stigma does not occur among teachers or pupils.

Relationships Education is a statutory subject in primary and secondary schools. Through this subject, pupils are taught about what healthy, respectful relationships are, and about the impact of their behaviour on others.

Through Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), pupils in secondary school are taught factual knowledge around sex, sexual health, and sexuality, set firmly within the context of relationships. Pupils should learn about contraception, sexually transmitted infections, developing intimate relationships, and resisting pressure to have sex.

The ‘Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health’ topic specifies that by the end of secondary school, pupils should know how the different sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, are transmitted. Pupils should also understand how risk can be reduced through safer sex and the importance of testing. Additionally, pupils are taught about HIV/AIDS at key stages 3 and 4 of the science curriculum.

To support teachers to deliver these topics safely and with confidence, the department has produced RSE and Health Education teacher training modules. At the beginning of each module, the school is encouraged to name the appropriate lead for the topic in school, any relevant policies, specialist support available locally, and additional information. The topic of ‘Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health’ includes content on sexually transmitted infections and sexual health advice which emphasises that everyone, regardless of age, has the right to free and confidential sexual health advice and services.

In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support all pupils with medical conditions. The government also published statutory guidance for schools. The guidance does not specify which medical conditions should be supported in schools. Instead, it focuses on how to meet the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts their school life. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

Under the Equality Act 2010, schools are required to make reasonable adjustments and to not discriminate against disabled children, including those with long-term health conditions, in relation to their education. This is to ensure that schools are not putting those with long-term health problems at a substantial disadvantage.