FOI Request - Legislation for Explicit Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) Education

Request 101003223981 

Per FOISA please provide me with information contained in your records as follows:

1. Please provide statutory powers and legislation that gives all local authority education and Schools per Curriculum for Excellence, the legal authority to teach explicit and inappropriate sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education to the extent that teachers are producing sex toys in class to children age 16 and under, in schools?

2. Please advise at what age or equivalent nursery/Primary year/High School year that explicit and inappropriate sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education commenced in Scotland per CfE?

Response 21-02-2023

1. Schools use the RSHP programme as it has been designed by Education and Health and is endorsed by Education Scotland. It provides the biological understanding of what happens to male and female bodies over time. It also provides teaching in the emotional and mental wellbeing of entering a relationship and developing understanding of the person's right to say 'no'.
It allows practitioners to use the content as little or as much as required according to the assessed context of the school, year group and pupil understanding. Before embarking on the programme, schools inform parents of the programme planned and provide them with the relevant links to view the material for themselves, however, this can be found quickly by googling 'RSHP Scotland'. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from these lessons and/or make arrangements to meet with the teacher.

The programme is very comprehensive, particularly at 3rd and 4th Level (S1-S6) but, at no point do any of the Moray secondary schools use 'explicit sex toys' as part of the learning and teaching. The programme does cover issues which are to support young people in recognising possible child protection concerns, and how to be best guided should they experience this.

2. The RSHP programme is written for all Levels, Early through to 4th Level. The programme is very much built around the Es and Os of CfE. 'Explicit' is a word that is open to a range of interpretations. All planned material is, as I have already said, readily available to parents and is shared with them.