Sex and Relationship Education

(asked on 11th July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which providers are creating resources to teach pupils about Sexually Transmitted Infections in Relationships and Sex Education.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 16th July 2019

From September 2020, the Department expects schools to teach the new content in the relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education guidance. The statutory guidance is clear that at the secondary level, RSE includes teaching about sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDs. Teaching should also include HIV prevention and the importance of testing, as well as how and where to access advice and treatment.

Schools are free to decide which resources to use and the Department entrusts headteachers with responsibility for making those decisions. The guidance is clear that schools should draw on medically accurate information and set this in the broader context of the subjects.

The Department is committed to supporting schools to teach the new subjects to a high standard. The Department will continue to work with subject experts to ensure that schools are supported in improving their practice, focusing on an implementation guide, support for training needs and materials.

The Department has announced a budget of £6 million in the 2019-20 financial year to develop this programme of support for schools. Funding beyond 2019-20 is a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review.

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