[RE/RSE: Sample Letter to Schools]

[Insert your address, date]

Dear [insert name of your head, governor, school etc],

As a parent with a child at [insert school name] I am writing to express my concern at the
government’s plans to introduce mandatory Relationship Education into all primary schools
and Relationship and Sex Education into all secondary schools, in England, from September
2020.

I understand schools are encouraged to teach Relationship Education /RSE before

September 2020 and to teach a more comprehensive syllabus than the legal minimum the
new legislation will outline.

As I am sure you are aware, the draft Relationship Education/RSE guidelines clearly state
that schools must consult with parents when designing the new curriculum and that the
resources used must be age-appropriate. Below I have some questions I would be grateful if
you could answer for me:

· How and when does the school propose to consult with parents on the development
of Relationship Ed/RSE?

· The government has clearly stipulated in the draft guidelines (2019) that schools
must consider the religious background of pupils when teaching ‘sensitive’ issues. I
would like to know how you propose to do this?

· I would like to be informed of how the school proposes to teach LGBT issues in
Relationship Education and whether you will be integrating these concepts into
other areas of the national curriculum?

· Please inform me of what aspects of sex education or safeguarding may be taught in

national curriculum science.

· I would also like to be informed of which external agencies (if any) you will be
inviting into the school to teach RE/RSE or other subjects that are related.

· I would also like to be informed about who exactly decides what is considered age-
appropriate? A major point of concern is that many Relationship Ed/RSE resources
produced by sex education organisations include material that is explicitly graphic
both visually and verbally and not age-appropriate. Whilst the Relationship Ed/RSE
guidelines clearly state resources and topics must be age-appropriate – I’m sure you
agree that this in reality is nearly impossible to achieve, given that in any year group
 children can be up to a year apart in age as well as being of different levels of
maturity. In addition, children are raised in a variety of ways due to religion and
culture and what may be deemed age-appropriate for one child may not be age-
appropriate for another. How will the school consult with parents to determine the
age-appropriateness of the topics and resources being used?

I would also like to kindly request that:

· I am kept updated at all stages of the process in which the school’s Relationship
Ed/RSE policy is drawn up.

· I am informed and invited to take part in any steering group or stakeholder meetings
in which school policies are drafted and decisions are made regarding how, when
and what children will be taught in Relationship Ed/RSE.

· I am kept informed of the resources used and how and when Relationship Ed/RSE
will be taught to my child at each stage of their education in this school.

· I am informed of when Relationship Ed/RSE will be taught to my child between now

and September 2020 so that I can exercise my legal right to withdraw my child from
all aspects of these classes.

· I am kept informed if/when sex education is going to be taught, so that I can choose
to exercise my parental right to withdraw my child from these classes as stated in
the Children and Social Work Act (2017).

· I am given the right as a parent and primary educator of my child to be notified and
given the option to withdraw my child from any lessons, assemblies or other
activities outside of the national curriculum.

I thank you for your time in reading this letter and look forward to liaising and working more
closely with the school on Relationship Ed/RSE matters.

Signed,
[your name]