By Gavin Mackintosh-
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, is to issue a clear directive to all schools in England, telling them that parents have a right to view the material their children are being taught.
In an open letter to parents, she encourages them to have confidence in their right to know what their children are seeing and being taught in the classroom.
The Education Secretary’s announcement comes in response to concerns about the teaching of inappropriate materials as part of the RSHE curriculum.
In March, Keegan wrote to all schools in England, initiating a thorough review of the curriculum supported by an independent panel.
However, she also made it clear that schools should not enter contractual conditions that prevent them from sharing RSHE materials.
In her most recent letter to schools, Keegan addresses a common misconception related to copyright law, asserting that companies providing teaching resources cannot use copyright law to forbid schools from sharing materials. Any attempt to do so through contract terms would be unenforceable and void.
Moreover, if a provider tries to forbid sharing with parents when asked, schools are encouraged to continue regardless. This stance reflects the clear public interest in ensuring that parents are aware of what their children are being taught.
In order to assist schools in defending parents’ rights, the Education Secretary is providing a practical sample letter that schools can adapt and send to external providers, making it clear that such contractual clauses are void and unenforceable.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan stated, “No ifs, no buts, and no more excuses. This government is acting to guarantee parents’ fundamental right to know what their children are being taught in sex and relationships education.
Today I’m writing to schools and parents to debunk the copyright myth that parents cannot see what their children are being taught. Parents must be empowered to ask, and schools should have the confidence to share.”
Parentkind’s Chief Executive, Jason Elsom, welcomed the move, emphasizing the importance of full transparency with parents in RSHE education.
He noted that when parents are consistently informed about RSHE in advance, they are significantly likelier to have confidence in the curriculum and be supportive of the content.
The Education Secretary’s directive aims to reassure parents about the content and provision of RSHE.
The UK Government’s new letter provides the most categorical position on the application of copyright law in this area to date, part of their overarching approach to empower both teachers and parents to defend their rights.
It specifies that when parents cannot attend a presentation or access materials through a “parent portal” like a school website, schools may provide copies of materials to parents upon request, with the stipulation that parents agree not to copy or share the content further.
In conjunction with the Department for Education’s thorough review of the RSHE curriculum, the Education Secretary and departmental officials have been actively engaging with parents and teachers.
They plan to publish updated guidance for full public consultation later this year, further cementing their commitment to transparent and responsible RSHE education.