URGENT – November 7. Respond to the RSE Consultation

The RSE Consultation into the Draft Statutory Guidance determining the content and delivery of the new regulations applying to Relationships Education (Primary), Relationships and Sex Education (Secondary) and Health Education (inclusive), closes on November 7.   The regulations will apply to all schools in England from 2020.

Almost unbelievably, some people are still unaware the Consultation is even taking place, while others seem to think it doesn’t much matter.   It does.

On the face of it, the requirement that Primary age children be taught about relationships sounds quite good.  After all, we all need to learn about respect, bullying, personal safety… how to maintain healthy relationships, etc.  But the Government has already stated that the new curriculum must include teaching on the equality and diversity of different relationships and families, which means children as young as four will be taught about sexual orientation, same sex relationships, and gender choice.

Many people have concerns that this is far too much information, too young, and that children lack the intellectual and emotional maturity to process such complex issues.  In other words, such teaching comes dangerously close to indoctrination, while in many cases it also conflicts with the faith and belief of their parents.  But these classes will be mandatory.  Under the new rules, because this teaching won’t be classed as sex education, parents won’t have any say.

It should  be noted that Primary schools are also being encouraged to include separate sex education lessons, but these will remain subject to a parental right of withdrawal.

At Secondary level, Relationships and Sex Education then becomes mandatory for all children.  Again, you might think it’s good for children to be taught about sex, in order to keep them safe.  But what this means in practice is that they’ll be taught the mechanics of what’s euphemistically called ‘safe sex’, without any kind of moral frame.  So they’ll be taught how to put on a condom – presented as the front line defence for keeping them safe – how to get contraception and abortion, what to do if they get an STI…   They will, of course, already have learnt all about masturbation and how to do it in Primary School, in lessons about bodily changes, included under Health Education, but now they’ll be taught about oral and anal sex, encouraged to explore their sexual orientation and relationships, and told about a whole host of sexual behaviours, formerly classified as deviant, but which children are now told are perfectly normal, and can be fun, if you like that sort of thing.   All these things are actually extremely high risk and carry significant health dangers…. But this information is withheld.

Removal of parental rights: As if all this weren’t bad enough, Catholic Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds, has now announced that the parental right to withdraw children from sex education classes, enshrined in the Education Act 1966, will be downgraded at secondary level to a right of request, and will be subject to agreement by the Head teacher.  On top of that, from age 15 – three terms before their sixteenth birthday – children will have an absolute right to opt-in to such classes – which the Head teacher must allow, and which will over-ride any contrary wishes of their parents. All of which means that the role and right of parents, as primary educators, in one fell swoop is removed and, in effect, transferred to the State.

This is an infringement of the fundamental right of parents to have children educated in line with their religious or philosophical beliefs, as set down in Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which the UK is a signatory.

Let us make no mistake, the basic aim of these regulations has nothing to do with keeping children safe.  Rather it is ideological, driven by activists who want to change the face of society, and who appear to pay scant regard to existing law.  Indeed, the underlying rationale would appear to be that of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, who famously said, ‘Give me a child till he’s 7, and he’s mine for life.’  Which is another way of saying that if you can get control of children and what they think, you control the future.

Please respond to the Consultation.  

Read VfJUK’s Briefing on how to respond here: https://vfjuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/VfJUK-Guidance-on-RSE-Consultation-30th-oct.pdf    Please note, we have not suggested model answers because the Government dismisses so-called group responses as evidence of an orchestrated campaign.   It is, therefore, very important that you use your own words.

For full background to the issues, and analysis of the problems arising from current policy, read the LCFCPG Report, Relationships and Sex Education: The Way Forward.  Download here:  https://vfjuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/RSE-report-2018-webv2.0.pdf

Respond online to the Consultation here:
https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/

This is a battle for the souls of our children and, through them, of our nation.

If you care about the future, make your voice heard