Gillian Keegan tells schools to let parents see sex education materials

Gillian Keegan has written to schools in England ordering them to make the materials used in children’s sex education available to be seen by parents, warning headteachers there can be “no ifs, no buts, no more excuses”.

It is the second letter the education secretary has sent to schools on the issue, which has been seized upon by some backbench Conservative MPs amid claims that children are being exposed to inappropriate material during relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) at school.

The secretary of state first wrote in March after reports that some schools were being prevented from sharing curriculum resources provided by a third party with parents because of warnings over copyright.

The latest ultimatum to schools – many of which are closed for half-term – said companies providing RSHE teaching resources cannot and should not use copyright law to prevent schools from sharing materials. Any attempt to do so would be unenforceable and void, she added.

Keegan has simultaneously penned an open letter to parents, encouraging and supporting their right to know what their children are being taught in the classroom and to see the materials used to impart those lessons.

Keegan said: “This government is acting to guarantee parents’ fundamental right to know what their children are being taught in sex and relationships education.

“Today I’m writing to schools and parents to debunk the copyright myth that parents cannot see what their children are being taught. Parents must be empowered to ask and schools should have the confidence to share.”

According to the Department for Education (DfE), if a third-party provider tries to stop schools sharing curriculum materials with parents when asked, schools should carry on regardless, because it would “contradict the clear public interest in parents being aware of what their children are being taught”.

The DfE is also sending a sample letter that all schools can adapt and send to external providers, making clear such copyright clauses are unenforceable.

Sex education was made compulsory in secondary schools in 2020 and updated for the first time in 20 years. A review of the RSHE curriculum was brought forward after Miriam Cates, the Tory MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, said children were being exposed to sex education classes that were “age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate”.

More than 50 organisations concerned with education and tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) wrote to Keegan, urging her to resist the “politicisation” of sex education. Updated guidance on RSHE is expected to be published by the end of the year for public consultation.

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, agreed there should be transparency over materials used in RSE lessons and welcomed the clarification over copyright law. “However, we are concerned that the education secretary’s letter to schools and parents creates an expectation that schools will publish every piece of planning and resource used across the RSHE curriculum,” he said. “This is a huge additional workload requirement at a time when they are already significantly overburdened.”

Parentkind, which represents parent-teacher associations, welcomed the secretary of state’s intervention. The chief executive, Jason Elsom, said: “The key to children receiving appropriate and beneficial relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) teaching is full transparency with parents.

“Our research clearly demonstrates that when parents are consistently informed about RSHE in advance, they are significantly likelier to have confidence in the curriculum and be supportive of the content. This move should help to reassure parents about the content and provision of RSHE.”