London school helps to shape Relationships and Sex education

London school helps to shape Relationships and Sex education

An academy in south London has been helping to shape the future guidance on Relationships and Sex education for other schools.

The City of London Academy in Southwark has been participating in the Department for Education’s call for evidence, asking parents, teachers and young people to help shape the new Relationships and Sex education curriculum.

Staff and pupils at the school have engaged with age-appropriate content such as mental wellbeing and staying safe online.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb met with teachers and pupils to discuss why the lessons are important and to hear their views on these issues. These steps will help to set guidance for all schools on how to teach these subjects so that it helps young people face the challenges of the modern world.

Gibb said: “It has been a pleasure to meet the teachers at the City of London Academy and to talk to the pupils benefitting from an education that teaches them the importance of healthy and stable relationships.

“There are 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010 and across the country, schools like the City of London Academy, with 64 per cent of pupils being entered for the EBacc, are raising standards for pupils.

“We want to continue to raise the bar and that’s why we have committed to update relationships and sex education to meet the needs of young people today. Our call for evidence closes next week and we want as many people as possible to have their say on what the new curriculum should include.”

The current statutory guidance for teaching Relationships and Sex education was introduced in 2000. It fails to address risks to children which have grown in prevalence in recent years, including online pornography, sexting and staying safe online.

The guidance is being updated after legislation was passed by Parliament earlier this year to make relationships education compulsory in all primary schools and Relationships and Sex education compulsory in all secondary schools.

The eight-week ‘call for evidence’ has been gathering views from people across England from all backgrounds on the content of this subject.

The call for evidence closes on Monday 12 February.

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