The RSE curriculum - Advice for schools - Support for schools and settings

Contents

Background

Schools should be aware of the cultural context of their families.

Parents are the first teachers of their children. They have the most significant influence in enabling their children to grow and mature and to form healthy relationships.

Parents should have the right to teach Sex Education themselves in a way which is consistent with their values.

Most Gypsy and Traveller families have a strong preference for their children not to participate in any form of sex education lessons.

Gypsy and Traveller children learn about sex and relationships from their immediate family.

The education of boys and girls in Gypsy and Traveller communities can still be heavily gendered.

Around the age of puberty, many Gypsy and Traveller children move into their own trailers.

Some views of the community

Children of different sexes would not change in front of each other at any age.
Female biological processes would not be discussed in front of men.
Women talk to women and men talk to men about private things.
We learn about these things with our immediate family.
Private body parts would not be named.
Life cycles and human and animal reproduction would not be discussed.
Diversity in relation to gender and sexual orientation would not be discussed.

Remember – Gypsy and Traveller communities are never homogenous. There will be many differences in attitudes and values between communities and families.

Why are Traveller children taken out of sex education?

This is a choice for all parents/carers, not just Gypsy and Traveller parents/carers.

Some Gypsy and Traveller families have strict rules around imparting knowledge about naming body parts, puberty, and reproduction in any form including, for some, plant and animal reproduction. There is often a belief that children learn too much, too soon.

The level of concern experienced by some Gypsy and Traveller parents/carers about RSE can result in them choosing to keep their child(ren) home from school on those days when RSE is taught or to withdraw them from education completely to Electively Home Educate (EHE). It is therefore important that schools take proactive steps to work with families in a sensitive way around the issues that can arise and build positive and open/honest relationships with Gypsy and Traveller families so that conversations can be had around the subject.

However, Relationship Education is statutory; this may be something you will want to talk to your Gypsy and Traveller parents, so that they are well informed of what is being taught and how. This will help determine alternative/acceptable ways of delivering the core content.

Withdrawing a child from sex education

Parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE. Before granting any such request it would be good practice for the headteacher to discuss the request with parents and, as appropriate, with the child to ensure that their wishes are understood and to clarify the nature and purpose of the curriculum. Schools will want to document this process to ensure a record is kept.

Good practice is also likely to include the headteacher discussing with parents the benefits of receiving this important education and any detrimental effects that withdrawal might have on the child. This could include any social and emotional effects of being excluded, as well as the likelihood of the child hearing their peers’ version of what was said in the classes, rather than what was directly said by the teacher. Although the detrimental effects may be mitigated if the parents propose to deliver sex education to their child at home instead.

Once those discussions have taken place, except in exceptional circumstances, the school should respect the parents’ request to withdraw the child, up to and until three terms before the child turns 16. After that point, if the child wishes to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn, the school should make arrangements to provide the child with sex education during one of those terms.

The approach outlined above should be reflected in the school’s policy on RSE.

Parents have the right to withdraw their child from sex education, but not from the essential content covered in relationships education.

Introduction to requirements – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Are Gypsy and Traveller children allowed to be removed from Science lessons which teach reproduction (human, animal or plant)?

Parents do not have the right to withdraw their pupils from topics taught as part of the science curriculum, including science topics related to puberty or sexual reproduction.

While Science is a statutory subject, it is at your discretion how you choose to discuss this with Traveller parents/carers.

To avoid them keeping their child off school on the days when reproduction is to be taught, it might be better to allow them to do other science work outside the classroom during lessons that focus on reproduction. In this way the child can still access a full day in school.

In KS4 it should be explained to Gypsy and Traveller parents/carers that if they choose to keep their child out of a science lesson, they risk jeopardising their child’s GCSE results as the child will not have the appropriate knowledge to answer the question and therefore will lose marks.

Best practice for schools

All schools should work closely with parents when planning and delivering these subjects. Schools should ensure that parents know what will be taught and when, and clearly communicate the fact that parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE.

Parents should be given every opportunity to understand the purpose and content of Relationships Education and RSE. Good communication and opportunities for parents to understand and ask questions about the school’s approach help increase confidence in the curriculum.

Many schools build a good relationship with parents on these subjects over time – for example by inviting parents into school to discuss what will be taught, address any concerns and help support parents in managing conversations with their children on these issues. This can be an important opportunity to talk about how these subjects contribute to wider support in terms of pupil wellbeing and keeping children safe. It is important through such processes to reach out to all parents, recognising that a range of approaches may be needed for doing so.

Good practice in schools

Remember there are different communities and cultures under the term ‘Travellers’. Be culturally sensitive to this.
Build positive relationships with families about all aspects of school.
Speak with Gypsy and Traveller parents before sex and relationship lessons are delivered, so that parents are aware of content and when it is being taught. This will help make them feel empowered.
Where possible get a known trusted adult to speak to Gypsy and Traveller Mums about the content.
Show RSE materials to Gypsy and Traveller parents/carers first so they are confident about the content and the delivery and can make an informed decision about whether or not to allow their child to participate.
Make sure families understand the approaches to safe teaching.
Make sure materials are in an accessible form for families.
Meet members of the community to find out more about their areas of concern.
Challenge fears gently and sensitively.
Have open, honest and transparent communication with families.
Provide parents with reasonable time to consider this information
Provide reasonable opportunities for parents to feed in their views
Give consideration to the views of parents
Reassure families of the new dangers of the world their children are growing up in.
Deliver content to girls and boys separately.
Ensure content is delivered by a trusted adult.
If a pupil is excused from sex education, it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that the pupil receives appropriate, purposeful education during the period of withdrawal.