The Green party's Parliamentary candidate for Streatham, Jonathan Bartley, is backing new statutory legislation which would provide better education on sex and relationships in schools.
The PSHE Bill 2014, is a private members bill by Green MP Caroline Lucas, and is due for its Second Reading today (Friday, 24th October). The Bill would enshrine in law the training and continuing guidance for teachers on how best to deliver relationship education and for Schools Inspectors how such teaching can be evaluated.
Jonathan supports the work of women’s rights organisations and other groups to make Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) compulsory and part of PSHE education, and has campaigned for many years on the issue. (1)
“In Lambeth there is a continuing need to tackle teenage pregnancy(2), challenge homophobic behaviour, address domestic violence and increase understanding around HIV. PSHE delivery is a key way for children to formulate their values, express and think about how challenging personal situations can be tackled.
Osted (3) has identified that PSHE is “not yet good enough” and some children have no access at all to trained PSHE education.
The legislation would give equal access to all children in State Education to adequate education on sexual consent, healthy respectful relationships and gender equality.
Mr Bartley said “The PSHE Bill 2014 demonstrates a commitment to equal opportunity in an area of crucial importance to young people and the adults who want them to thrive. It is vital that we recognise that SRE is a necessary part of the education curriculum if we are serious about tackling serious issues such as violence against young women and girls and providing a time in schools for children of all ages to be able to ask questions in order to establish safe relationship boundaries.”
(1) Jonathan Bartley was one of the founder members of the Accord Coalition (formed in 2008), which brings together unions, faith groups and secular groups, and is calling for PSHE to be compulsory in faith schools http://accordcoalition.org.uk/
(2) Lambeth has one of the highest teenage conception rates in England, double the national average. http://www.apho.org.uk/resource/item.aspx?RID=50285
(3).http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/our-expert-knowledge/personal-social-and-health-education-pshe May 2013 “not yet good enough”