Proposed legislation that would compel schools to provide parents with copies of the materials utilised in Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) lessons is now being championed by nearly 70 Tory MPs.
Miriam Cates, the MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, originally led the introduction of the “sex education transparency” private members’ bill in July, which was formally published on Friday. Its second reading is due in November.
Yesterday Mrs. Cates took to X (formerly Twitter), saying: “In July I introduced a Bill in Parliament that would give parents the legal right to view what children are taught in Sex Education lessons. The Bill is now published & has the backing of over 70 Tory MPs but it needs Government support to become law.”
Amid mounting pressure from the conservative cohort, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is now facing demands to establish a legal obligation for schools to disclose details of their sex education curriculum.
Mrs. Cates is now urging the government to include this essential legislation in the upcoming King’s Speech in November, challenging the administration to outline concrete plans for implementing this vital reform.
Speaking yesterday, she said, “If this isn’t in the King’s Speech, how does the government intend to make this a reality?”
Sunak Under Pressure to Outline Specifics
The prime minister addressed this concern during the conservative conference, emphasising the importance of parental awareness regarding their children’s education about relationships. However, specific methods to ensure schools share these materials with parents have not yet been outlined.The proposed legislation was created in response to Clare Page, a dedicated parental campaigner, who waged a legal battle to access her daughter’s sex education plan.
Mrs. Page’s quest for transparency began when her 15-year-old daughter returned home from school, revealing lessons that had encouraged a “sex-positive” attitude and criticised “heteronormativity.”
Despite Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s directive for schools to allow parental access to all curriculum materials, a tribunal judge ruled in favour of the third-party sex education provider, citing commercial interests.
Mrs. Keegan said at the time that “parents should be able to view all curriculum materials.”
She added that this should also apply even, “where an external agency advises schools that their materials cannot be shared due to restrictions in commercial law.”
Speaking to The Epoch Times, Jack Ross, the CEO of conservative grassroots pressure group Turning Point UK, said: “Miriam Cates’ Relationships and Sex Education (Transparency) Bill is exactly what is needed to restore trust between parents and our schools.”
“For too long a number of schools have veiled specific political gender narratives under the guise of ‘Relationships’ education, preventing parents from exercising their right to opt-out.”
Bill ‘Aims to Empower Parents’
Speaking via text, Mr. Ross added: “By promoting transparency in the curriculum, the Bill aims to empower parents with the knowledge to decide what is appropriate content for their children. It marks a much needed move towards neutralising politics in our educational institutions.”Lorcan Price, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, a legal group that specialises in free speech cases and has championed the rights of faith schools to have more say over their approach to the curriculum, said that parents “have every right” to know more.
Speaking to The Epoch Times via text, Mr. Price said: “There is no conceivable reason why schools should be hiding sensitive lesson plans from parents, who have every right to be involved in overseeing the education of their children.
“In fact, the British government is required under international and European law to respect the right of parents to direct the education and teaching of their children.
“Parents deserve support and encouragement in their role, enabling their children to flourish.
“The State education system shouldn’t be closing the door on mums and dads.”
In June, Reclaim Party MP Andrew Bridgen introduced a bill in the House of Commons aimed at prohibiting the promotion of gender transition practices in schools.
The bill sought to ensure that gender self-identification is not promoted in school curricula and that parents are informed if their child intends to pursue social transition.
Speaking to The Epoch Times, Mr. Bridgen said: “I absolutely support Miriam Cates’ private members bill, I think that children should have their innocence protected at school and that we should let kids be kids.
“I was disappointed that my own bill was rejected by the House and hope that Miriam has the support it takes to get a second reading and subsequently into law.”
In a challenge to Mr. Sunak, he added: “If the Prime Minister was genuinely committed to fighting this battle as he suggested at Tory Conference, he would adopt this as official policy.”
