Conservatives for Women
Tackling politicisation and transgression in the
"Relationship, Sex, and Health Education" School Curriculum
Caroline ffiske, February 2025
There has been widespread public and media attention on the politicised and transgressive nature of many "RSHE" teaching materials produced for use in our schools. However, there is no simple solution to 'reining in' RSHE. For example, 'abolishing RSHE' could just shift the same teaching materials and approach into other parts of the school curriculum, including into assemblies and the wider 'PSHE' (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic) curriculum.
Instead, we need a much wider public discussion about what the RSHE curriculum currently contains, and what we would like it to contain. Then we need to move from the former to the latter. As the current Child Wellbeing and Schools Bill makes its way through parliament, this creates an opportunity to address this issue via the process of amendments to the bill.
This document sets out specific parameters that can be used to 'rein in RSHE'. With respect to each, it suggests amendments to the current Schools bill. However, its wider intention is to kickstart renewed discussion on this important area. What should we be teaching children in RSHE? And how can we get to there?