Welsh Government insists children will not be taught ‘explicit material’ in new sex education curriculum
THE Welsh Government has rejected claims its new compulsory sex education will lead to young children learning “explicit sexual material”.
The government’s new relationships and sexuality education (RSE) was rolled out in about half of all schools in September but five claimants launched a legal bid in the summer to block the new curriculum.
Protesters gathered outside Cardiff Civil Justice Centre last Wednesday for the second day of a High Court judicial review in which the claimants, who include members of a group called Public Child Protection Wales, have accused the Welsh Government of teaching “controversial socio-sexual theories” and transgender theories with “no basis in law”, and say young children will be taught about sexual body parts.
They say the fact parents cannot opt out of the mandatory element of the curriculum breaches their common law and European rights.
The Welsh Government has denied it amounts to “indoctrination” of children as young as three or taught specific practices or lifestyles and says it is “developmentally appropriate” so younger learners will not learn about sexual relationships.
Jonathan Moffett KC, representing the Welsh Government, denied parents’ claims that “aggressive” teaching methods would result in sex education being “rammed down children’s throats throughout the school day”, reiterating that the RSE code and guidance, published earlier this year, would be “developmentally and age appropriate”.
“This is not a one size fits all exercise,” he said, explaining that headteachers “are expected to tailor what they are teaching to the children in front of them.”
He added that not all aspects would be taught to all children at the same time and the vagueness of RSE was inherent in the code and guidance. He said the Welsh Government was “trusting headteachers to apply” the curriculum as experienced professionals.
Addressing the claimants’ view that children would be taught correct names for body parts from aged three, Mr Moffett said this would only start with non-sexual body parts in earlier years; this part of the curriculum would teach children how to recognise and report abuse.
“That’s not helped if that’s done by way of euphemism,” he said.
The court also heard from Paul Diamond, who represented the claimants and said RSE would teach young children about “controversial socio-sexual theories” including that there were “95 genders”.
Mr Moffett said teaching children about LGBTQ+ issues was important for them to learn about helping others and treating people equally, including those who identify as a gender other than that which they were born in.
“These people exist,” he said, adding that this was an “incontrovertible fact” in real life and teaching children about equal treatment of members of the LGBTQ+ community “is not teaching them psycho-sexual theories”.
He also addressed claims that the curriculum said a “man can become a woman or vice versa”, saying there was “absolutely nothing in the code to that effect”.
Mr Moffett argued that there was no legal basis for parents having a right to opt their children out and this would be “entirely inconsistent” with what had been passed by Welsh Government.
Mrs Justice Steyn reserved judgement until a later date.