The UK’s Department of Education has proposed new guidance to restrict the promotion of gender ideology in public schools, establish age-based guidelines for sex education, and uphold parental rights.
This proposed update to the Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE) guidance, now open for an eight-week public comment period, would bar schools from teaching that “gender is a spectrum.” Instead, schools would be required to “teach the facts about biological sex” and avoid presenting alternative views on gender as factual.
Additionally, it clarifies that individuals must be 18 to legally reassign their gender and that, for those under 18, legal sex remains as biological sex, meaning boys cannot be legally classified as girls or vice versa in schools.
When using external resources, schools should avoid oversimplified materials and consult parents on their content in advance, making all materials available upon request. The guidance also includes teaching about laws related to discrimination against protected groups, including gender reassignment and sexual orientation.
The proposal would delay sex education until Year 5 (ages 9-10) and outline age-appropriate content guidelines. Parents could opt their children out of sex education lessons, except for those within the science curriculum. Students aged 16 and older could opt back into sex education without parental approval.
New protections for parental rights would require schools to make all sex education materials available for parental review. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan emphasized that the proposal aims to protect children and ensure parents are informed about their children's education. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, responding to reports of inappropriate sex education content, supported the guidance for protecting children and involving parents.
Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre (CLC) supported the proposal, with CLC Chief Executive Andrea Williams calling for a return to Christian values in education.
These changes follow the recent cessation of sex-change drug prescriptions for minors in England and Scotland, influenced by Dr. Hilary Cass's review, which found insufficient evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of such treatments for children.