According to FOI (Freedom of Information) data, schools are missing out on vital support from local services depending on where they’re located in England.
Data provided by the FOI reveals that a quarter of local authorities in England are not providing specialist training for secondary school teachers to deliver Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), even a year after it was made compulsory for all secondary school pupils.
13 of the 51 local authorities which spoke to VICE World News, admitted to offering zero funding for specialist RSE training for teachers from sexual health professionals.
Since 2013, local authorities have been responsible for providing sexual health services in England, which is financed by the government’s public health grant.
As part of their responsibilities, local authorities must commission services which support young people’s sexual health and wellbeing. This often includes resources and active involvement in local schools. Anything from lesson plans and in-person workshops to leaflets and links to local services falls under this requirement.
Whilst local authorities have control over locally-maintained schools (which account for 35% of all state secondary schools), the public health grant was established to support the health and wellbeing of everybody in the local area.
But back in 2019, when schools first started rolling out the new RSE curriculum, Councillor Izzi Seccombe OBE from the Local Government Association said:
“It is vital that local authorities work with all schools in their area to influence and commission consistent good quality RSE as part of their responsibilities to improve public health outcomes for children, young people and families.”
However, according to new data, 53% of local authorities did not commission any external sexual health and reproductive services in local schools. This means that only 47% of schools had access to these specialized services, including contraception programs, LGBTQ educational programs, and specialized teacher training around areas such as consent.
According to Lucy Whitehouse, the founder of digital sex education charity, Fumble, this failure to provide secondary school pupils with specialized RSE lessons means that they are not getting access to vital information.
“It feels like a postcode lottery for young people which is unacceptable and not adequate given they are facing increasing pressures in the digital age.”
Although some local authorities provide support to schools beyond their remit – such as academies and independent schools – there is still a significant number of local areas that do not provide any funding for RSE to schools under their control. But there are some arguments to suggest that this may not entirely be the fault of local authorities.
For instance, when the Department of Education first announced that RSE training would be delivered in schools, they set aside £6 million in funding. However, sex education charities claim that £60 million would be needed to realistically train the country.
Lisa Hallgarten, head of policy and public affairs at sexual health charity Brook, said:
“I think the consequences will always be that the people most vulnerable will come out of it worst. So the people who are more likely to experience unwanted early pregnancy, more vulnerable to STIs – there will continue to be distinct sexual health inequalities.”
But according to the Department of Education, they have invested millions in the rollout of the RSE curriculum and continue to support teachers with training and guidance.
What’s to be said about this issue, however, is that whether it is the fault of limited funding or local authorities’ inability to provide local schools with appropriate training and programs, there is an overwhelming number of young people in the UK without access to sexual education.
With the growing age of social media and the rise of misinformation, it’s important that teens have access to professional sexual health programs.
