“No more young people will be let down when it comes to learning about sex and relationships.”
MPs have voted in favour of LGBTQ-inclusive relationship and sex education in schools by an overwhelming majority.
On 27 March, 538 MPs at the House of Commons backed the proposal, with only 21 voting against it.
Mo Wiltshire, Director of Education and Youth at Stonewall, said in a statement: “These new subjects have the potential to deliver real change in how LGBT families, people and relationships are taught about.
“This will help foster greater inclusion, acceptance and understanding in our classrooms, playgrounds and school corridors. All students, whether they are LGBT or not, should have the time and space to learn about the diversity that exists and makes our world beautiful.”
Alex Phillips of the Terrence Higgins Trust also said: “This is a historic day for both Relationships and Sex Education and for all young people across England.
We now know that from September 2020 that RSE will finally be compulsory in all schools in England and that no more young people will be let down when it comes to learning about sex and relationships.”
The monumental move comes weeks after the future of LGBTQ-inclusive lessons at a school in Birmingham, UK, had been called into question following outcry from parents.
No Outsides – developed by Andrew Moffat for Parkfield Community School – was a program of lessons that covered topics such as gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, disability and age.
Parents vehemently complained, leading the school to make a plea to parents to stop as it was “upsetting and disruptive” for the children. The disagreement culminated in around 600 students being pulled from the school for the day.
Fatima Shah, a parent, spoke out to say: “We are not a bunch of homophobic mothers, we just feel that some of these lessons are inappropriate. Some of the themes being discussed are very adult and complex and the children are getting confused.”
If the House of Lords approves the move, primary school children will be taught about different family models while secondary school children will be taught about sexual orientation and gender identity.
It will go into effect as early as September 2020.
Related: Ofsted chief says schools should teach children about same-sex couples.
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