Sex education plans opposed

A FORMAL objection to the Government’s new relationships and sex education curriculum has been lodged with Parliament by the historian Professor Geoffrey Alderman.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds presented his proposals, which make relationships education compulsory but allow children to opt out of sex education, to MPs last week

But Professor Alderman said these would still interfere with the right of parents to educate children according to their religious beliefs.

The potential impact on Jewish schools of the new RSE proposals is still being analysed by Jewish groups.

Chinuch UK, the Charedi umbrella group, believes LGBT issues can be avoided by including them within sex — rather than relationships — education, from which children can opt out.

But other Strictly Orthodox campaigners are more sceptical. They point to Department for Education guidance that primary children should learn about “different” types of family; and that, by the end of secondary school, all pupils are expected to “have been taught LGBT content at a timely point”.

A Board of Deputies spokesman said it understood from the government that, in secondary schools, “the retention of parental opt-out on sex education, combined with flexibility given to schools, should ensure people are not taught the subject if that goes against their strongly held convictions”.

But the spokesman noted the new guidance “does not supersede the Equality Act 2010 and the requirement to respect and develop tolerance for all of the protected characteristics” — which include same-sex orientation and gender reassignment.

“This means the same issues continue for Charedi schools,” the Board said. “But, thanks to the community’s advocacy, the RSE guidance raises no additional challenges.”

Meanwhile, another Chasidic school has been marked down by Ofsted this week because it does not discuss LGBT issues with pupils.

Beis Ruchel Girls’ School, an independent primary in Manchester, did not teach about “different kinds of families and gender issues,” leaving pupils unaware of “some of the characteristics of people in modern Britain”.

Beis Ruchel was judged to be a school that “requires improvement” — one inspection grade better than its inadequate rating two years ago .