Closed petition Remove LGBT content from the Relationships Education curriculum

Petition progress

View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.

• 18 March 2024

  Parliament debated this petition

  

  • Read the transcript of the debate
• 21 February 2024

  Related activity

  Parliament is going to debate the petition you signed

  The Petitions Committee (the group of MPs that consider e-petitions) has scheduled a debate on petitions relating to LGBT content in the relationships education curriculum.

  The debate will take place on Monday 18 March, at 4.30pm.

  You'll be able to watch it live on Parliamentlive.tv or on YouTube.

  A transcript of the debate will be available in Hansard (the written record of proceedings in the House of Commons) a few hours after it takes place.

  Ahead of the debate, the Petitions Committee has written to the Education Secretary, asking for an update on the Government's review of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum. The letter asks the Education Secretary to confirm their plans to publish new RSHE statutory guidance, and commit to seeking to publish draft guidance before this debate, so that MPs have a chance to discuss this during the debate.

  • Read the letter from the Petitions Committee to the Education Secretary
• 12 July 2023

  Petition closed

• 30 January 2023

  Government responded to this petition

  Primary schools are not required to teach LGBT content but can choose to teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Department for Education has no plans to change its advice to schools on this subject.

  Read the response in full

  RSHE is designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe, and healthy lives and to foster respect for other people and for difference.

  The statutory guidance states that all pupils should receive teaching on LGBT content during their school years. Secondary schools should include LGBT content in their teaching. Primary schools are strongly encouraged and enabled, when teaching about different types of family, to include families with same sex parents.

  Through these subjects, children will be taught about the importance of respectful relationships and the different types of loving and healthy relationships that exist. This can be done in a way that respects everyone’s views.

  All schools may teach about faith perspectives. In particular, schools with a religious character may teach the distinctive faith perspective on relationships, and balanced debate may take place about issues that are seen as contentious.

  In addition, schools should ensure that parents know what will be taught and when, and clearly communicate the fact that parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE.

  Schools should also ensure that, in developing their RSE policy, that they engage parents and provide examples of the resources they plan to use in lessons. We also expect schools to respond positively where parents ask to see specific materials, for example by inviting parents into the school to view materials where Copyright Law prevents them from sharing it online.
  The Department for Education has no plans to change its advice to schools on this subject.

  Department for Education

• 17 January 2023

  This petition will be considered for debate in Parliament

  This petition got more than 100,000 signatures meaning the Petitions Committee will consider it for debate in Parliament.

• 15 January 2023

  Government will respond to this petition

  This petition got more than 10,000 signatures meaning that government will respond to it.

• 12 January 2023

  Petition published

  This petition can now be signed.

  If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

  If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

  This petition will stay open until 12 July 2023.