Completed petition Statutory Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) for all schools and educational establishments in Wales
We ask the Welsh Government to make SRE a statutory subject in the curriculum for all schools and educational establishments in Wales. We submit this petition on behalf of the ABFABB project's service users and the Bridgend LGBT Forum. SRE is currently delivered as part of Personal and Social Education (PSE). Delivery is inconsistent and often non-inclusive of LGBT relationships. Evidence shows that 85% of young people are not taught the biological and physical aspects of same-sex relationships, while only 22% discussed LGB issues in SRE classes (Stonewall Cymru, 2012). Inclusive SRE allows a greater awareness of different families, relationships and feelings. It ultimately contributes to combat homophobic, transphobic and biphobic bullying and language in schools. It also favours a more transparent working environment for teachers and all staff.
Inclusive delivery can only be achieved if SRE is granted statutory status across Wales. We propose that a statutory status should allow for:
• A compulsory element to the subject which will ensure implementation.
• An inclusive, age-appropriate delivery with set learning expectation for each progression step.
• A comprehensive training programme for teachers and all staff.
• Information on both sexuality and gender identity; although these are distinct from one another, awareness of all positive relationships from an early age will benefit all children, regardless of identity or sexuality.
More details
ABFABB is part of a Community voice portfolio and is funded by Big Lottery Fund. It aims to engage LGBT community members across Bridgend County Borough in the planning, delivery and evaluation of services.
The Bridgend LGBT Forum provides an engagement platform between service users and providers in Bridgend County Borough. It currently consists of statutory services, charities and voluntary organisations.
Freedom of information requests were sent to Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC), the Welsh Government and Estyn. National bodies have a non-statutory guidance; BCBC did not hold any of the information requested, even for schools that it directly finances.
We believe that the new curriculum assessment (Successful Futures), with its focus on areas of expertise and a continuum of learning, represents the ideal vehicle for statutory, inclusive, age-appropriate SRE. The Written Statement – Educational Provision and the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Bill also provides innovative approaches to training which could highlight positive same-sex relationships and LGBT perspectives.
In the light of these developments, we now have an opportunity to deliver quality SRE for all children in Wales.
The statistics provided above are available in 'The school report' (Stonewall Cymru, 2012). 'The teacher's report' (Stonewall Cymru) states that only 33% of primary teachers have addressed families with same sex parents, and 35% of secondary teachers have not addressed LGBT issues in the classroom. The National AIDS Trust (NAT, 2015) reports that 75% of respondents have not received information on same-sex relationships and attraction in SRE, and specifically recommends a statutory requirement for SRE in all primary and secondary schools (Recommendation 4).
This petition was considered by the Petitions Committee
Find out about the Petitions Committee’s discussion of this petition