Media release from ASCL and NAHT

Friday 27 October 

ASCL and NAHT write to Education Secretary over ‘desperately disappointing’ tone of RSHE comments

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, and Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, have written to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan today to express their disappointment with the tone of a press release issued by the Department for Education on Monday over Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) materials and the comments in the press release from the Education Secretary. The letter is as follows:

Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP 

Secretary of State for Education 

Sanctuary Buildings 

Great Smith Street 

London  

SW1P 3BT

Friday 27 October 2023

Dear Gillian

We are writing to raise our concerns about the way in which your letter to schools regarding RSHE materials was ‘spun’ into a press release that was clearly designed to give the impression that you are getting tough with recalcitrant schools for failing to provide access to these materials. In reality, we think that the vast majority of schools already share RSHE materials with parents and that if there are examples where this has not happened for any reason, it is in a very small number of cases. This simply isn’t an issue which warrants a press release containing the comment from you: “No ifs, no buts and no more excuses.”

It is desperately disappointing that you as the Secretary State for Education – the very person who should be standing up for schools – instead chooses to denigrate them in pursuit of a headline. This sort of thing undermines public institutions and feeds a breakdown of trust that is corrosive. You are aware that schools are experiencing very difficult conditions in terms of challenging pupil behaviour and high levels of absenteeism. We need political leaders to be encouraging parents to support schools rather than making that relationship more difficult. It is also incredibly hard to recruit and retain enough staff to deliver the curriculum in general, let alone the extra demands of a subject as sensitive as RSHE. Inflaming controversy over RSHE is hardly likely to encourage people into the profession or inspire confidence among teachers who are teaching this subject.

We are making this letter public in order to provide some sort of balance to the press release that you issued – without warning – on Monday. We implore you to think more carefully about the impact of such statements in the future and to be a champion for our schools and colleges.

Yours sincerely

Geoff Barton

General Secretary

Association of School and College Leaders

Paul Whiteman

General Secretary

National Association of Head Teachers