Sex education: 'False information' being spread about lessons

A "false information campaign" is circulating about relationship and sex education (RSE) in Northern Ireland, the Department of Education has said.

The department has taken the highly unusual step of writing to principals during the school holidays about RSE.

BBC News NI understands some principals have received a number of messages from concerned parents over the summer.

Some concerns were in response to a leaflet recently circulated about changes to the RSE curriculum.

The leaflet was also seen by BBC News NI.

In June, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris laid new regulations in Parliament on RSE.

They will make it compulsory for all post-primary schools in Northern Ireland to teach pupils about access to abortion and prevention of early pregnancy.

Each school in Northern Ireland is currently required by the department to develop its own RSE policy and to teach RSE.

However what is actually taught to pupils about RSE has been a matter for each school to decide, based on their school ethos.

Mr Heaton-Harris's move, though, meant post-primaries would have to teach pupils about issues such as how to prevent a pregnancy, the legal right to an abortion in Northern Ireland, and how relevant services may be accessed.

The change is due to come into effect in schools from 1 January, but the department has now written to principals to clarify some matters about RSE and the new regulations.

"I appreciate that schools are currently closed for the summer, but that you may be receiving communications from a false information campaign that is circulating to parents in relation to RSE," the department's letter said.

"The change to legislation brought in by the secretary of state does not apply to primary schools.

"It applies only to specific elements of the RSE curriculum at post-primary."

The letter also said the new regulations "make provision for, at the request of a parent, a pupil to be excused from RSE lessons".

"In keeping with the design principles of the Northern Ireland curriculum, schools have flexibility to decide on the content of their taught RSE programme and how to deliver it," the letter continued.

The letter also said that the department would hold a "full public consultation that will address specifically the secretary of state's regulations."

The consultation will also reflect recent reports into RSE from the Education and Training Inspectorate and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC).

Both of those reports were critical of aspects of the RSE curriculum and how it was taught in some schools in Northern Ireland.

The department said that it would write again to principals at the end of August to advise them when the consultation would be launched and would publish new guidance on RSE following that process.