Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) prepares young people for the physical, social and emotional changes they are going to face.
It teaches the value of meaningful relationships and supports young people’s wellbeing. We believe all children deserve high quality, comprehensive, age-appropriate SRE.
SRE improves young people’s sexual health
Today, young people have sex with more people and start at a younger age, but they are too often badly prepared for the consequences of sex. Forget the myths – good SRE supports young people to delay having sex. It also promotes safer sex and contraception, leading to lower rates of STIs and teenage pregnancy.
Without good SRE, young people are often forced to depend on less accurate sources of information, including their friends and the internet. They might have to deal with peer pressure and decisions about sex and relationships without that crucial support. Most parents support SRE and it can provide a welcome catalyst to help them talk with their children too.
All schools should provide comprehensive SRE
Most young people are taught SRE, but the breadth and quality of SRE is highly variable. Some young people are still missing out entirely.
In England, all schools must have a written SRE policy, and secondary schools must have a SRE programme. The only SRE which is compulsory is biological, including HIV/AIDS, STIs and puberty. Broader SRE, including same sex relationships, how to negotiate sex, and contraception options, is not part of the statutory curriculum. When schools do teach broader SRE, parents have the right to withdraw their child from those lessons.
In Wales, SRE is a compulsory part of the curriculum in secondary schools as part of Personal and Social Education. Primary schools also must have a written SRE policy.
In Scotland, SRE is not compulsory. The Scottish Government encourages schools to provide SRE as part of a programme of Personal Social Health and Economic education (PSHEe). Parents may withdraw their children from SRE, but should explain how they will provide it at home.
Terrence Higgins Trust believes SRE should be part of the statutory national curriculum, as part of a broader programme of PSHEe.
Teachers should be supported to deliver high quality SRE
Making sure young people have SRE lessons is only part of the picture. For SRE to be effective it has to be of high quality. That means training teachers properly so they have the confidence to meaningfully engage with young people and speak with them about more sensitive or controversial aspects of SRE, like same sex relationships and contraception. Teachers should have access to good training and support as part of their Initial Teacher Training and Continuing Professional Development. It is unlikely that SRE will be made compulsory any time soon, so we are campaigning to make sure existing teaching of SRE gets better.