Education Sec: Sex-ed topics must be age appropriate
The education secretary says sex education topics taught in schools need to be age-appropriate amid claims there were reports of "inappropriate teaching for young children". Gillian Keegan says updated guidance will be issued before the end of the year. It comes as the government calls on schools to share the content taught in sex education classes to parents. Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Transcript
00:00 We didn't have a list of schools, but we had lots of reports coming from media, from parents,
00:05 from letters, saying that they hadn't been able to access it.
00:09 So what we wanted to clear up was this confusion around copyright and whether the materials
00:14 were copyright and whether they could be shared with parents.
00:17 So as these materials are in the public interest, we basically wrote to schools and we wrote
00:25 with a letter that they could write to the providers of the materials to say this has
00:31 absolutely got to be shared.
00:34 Obviously not to be published, but to be shared with parents, preferably on a website or face-to-face,
00:39 but they could also have copies if that was required as well.
00:42 The first one on RSHE, we have an independent panel that's been working with us because
00:47 what we want to do is be clearer on age appropriate and age limits for certain things to be taught
00:53 at certain ages, because there was also some reports of inappropriate teaching for young
00:58 children.
00:59 So we're doing that work at the moment and we will be issuing updated guidance before
01:03 the end of the year so that people can see that.
01:06 In terms of the gender questioning guidance, that's something that we're still working
01:11 on, hoping by the end of the year as well.
01:14 It's something that myself and the Equalities Minister are working to make sure we just
01:20 get something that's right, but also takes account of the legal framework that we have