Michael Doherty, a 50-year-old father from Suffolk, recently faced a difficult decision regarding his daughter’s education. He decided to remove her from Thurston Primary School due to what he considered highly inappropriate sex education lessons. As a concerned parent, he was shocked by the teaching materials and their delivery to the students.
The school had been teaching these lessons for several years but, due to the pandemic, parents were unable to review the specific content. When Michael requested to see the materials and made the decision to withdraw his daughter, he was met with resistance. The school claimed that it was important for all children to receive the content, which covered topics such as friendships and safety.
However, Michael’s concerns grew when he discovered that the school’s claim of following a national curriculum for PSHE relationships was inaccurate. In reality, no such national curriculum exists for this purpose. The controversial BBC video shown to the students, along with other teaching resources, were provided by an external charity called the PSHE Association.
Realizing the need for parents to be involved in the decision-making process regarding classroom materials, Michael expressed his frustration. He stated, “I feel as a parent they were quite hostile to me. You’re treated like some sort of prude. But I think you need to speak up.”
The video in question depicted topics such as wet dreams, sperm, and orgasms, which Michael found highly inappropriate for fourth graders. Despite the video eventually being taken down, Sofia’s teacher denied its sexual content and claimed that the year group was not being taught sex education. Michael argued that parental consent should have been obtained before exposing students to such videos.
After initially facing resistance, Michael successfully withdrew his daughter from the school. Currently, Sofia is spending time with her family in Poland and searching for another school. Homeschooling is also being considered as an alternative option.
Since September 2020, Relationships Education has become compulsory in primary schools, and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is mandatory in secondary schools. Unfortunately, this has led to confusion among teachers seeking guidance on the subject, resulting in the use of materials from charities with unconventional views on biological development.
Michael described the teaching of PSHE and RSE as a “sausage factory” and expressed disappointment in school leaders. He believes that many parents are unaware of what is being shown to their children in school and hopes that they would take similar steps if they knew the potential harm it could cause.
A spokesperson from the Department for Education stressed that the safety and well-being of children and young people are their top priorities. In response to reports of inappropriate materials, the government has initiated an urgent review of the curriculum. Implementing age ratings to ensure appropriate teaching materials is being considered. Additionally, the Education Secretary has reminded schools that parents have the right to view teaching materials, and copyright law does not prevent them from accessing external resources on school premises.
Thurston Church of England Primary Academy, in response to recent concerns, affirmed that their PSHE curriculum adheres to the statutory guidance provided by the Department for Education’s policy. The curriculum follows the government-funded PSHE Association program of study, which undergoes quality assurance to meet statutory requirements. The school will be reviewing its materials in light of the concerns raised by parents like Michael Doherty.
