Schools block parents from seeing sex-ed curriculum

SCHOOLS are blocking parents from seeing sex education materials after the Government failed to fulfil a pledge to make the curriculum more transparent, campaigners have warned.

Some companies providing sex education materials in schools have obstructed parents from viewing the content of the lessons, citing commercial confidentiality and copyright laws.

Conservative MPS and peers have urged the Department for Education to intervene, warning that relationship and sex education (RSE) in schools is a “Wild West”, with evidence that children are being exposed to “adult sexuality” that is “doing them harm”.

Baroness Barran, an education minister, told the House of Lords last July that the department would write to schools “to set out a clear expectation that schools respond positively to any reasonable requests from parents to view curriculum materials”. The Daily Telegraph has learnt no such letter has been sent.

Bayswater, a support group for parents of trans-identified children and young people, said schools were continuing to block parents from viewing sex education materials. A spokesman said: “If parents can see maths or science lessons, why is this area different?”

John Denning, head of education at the Christian Institute, said: “Given the very concerning RSE materials that do exist, it seems inexplicable that the Department for Education has still not sent a letter to schools requiring this, six months after the minister committed to doing so.”

The Department for Education said: “If a parent requests to see teaching materials, copyright law does not prevent a school from sharing them.”