Relationships, Sexual Health & Parenthood (RSHP)

A huge amount of resources have gone into providing teaching guidance for RSHP

10 Thoughts from ScotPAG

The RSHP is a Scottish Government backed resource which has constantly evolved over the last 10 years. Here at ScotPAG we do wonder what it has achieved to date. What are its aims, what outcomes does it aspire to? Has it achieved any of these aims? How would we know?

It takes great skill for any adult to have a well-informed, sensible, sensitive and honest discussion with one child or teenager about what used to be called ‘the facts of life’. And yet, the Scottish Government expects teachers to use the huge tome that is the RSHP to, what can turn out to be large, groups of children and teenagers during precious school teaching hours.

We are not saying that there should be no coverage of the area of sexual development in schools; it’s just that there seems to be an obsession on the part of the Scottish Government, with providing unnecessarily extensive coverage of all aspects of sexual behaviour for children of all ages. Much of the RSHP can be challenged for not being age-appropriate, however age appropriateness is defined. Various parents have also raised general concerns regarding its contents. Here’s our concerns:

'Gay' children

1. Why tell 5-7 year olds about being gay? They do not have the cognitive or emotional maturity to comprehend this.

2. Why tell 7-9 year olds about being sexually attracted to someone? They do not have the cognitive or emotional maturity to comprehend this.

3. Why tell 7-9 year olds about contraception including condoms? They do not have the cognitive or emotional maturity to comprehend this.

4. Why tell 7-9 years olds about people who identify as transgender? Most adults, never mind young children, don't have an understanding of what this hypothetical concept is.

5. Why use time in education to talk about pornography to 11 and 12 year olds? There is a risk this will encourage them to go online to find out for themselves.

6. Why such graphic images? Is this really appropriate?

7. And why the beguiling cartoons? Surely some middle ground is more appropriate?

8. Why is there so much of the RSHP? How many hours are meant to be devoted to this per pupil per year?

9. Are teachers the individuals who should be doing this?

10. Is this really what education is for?

Is this what parents want?

At ScotPAG we think that Scottish education needs to focus on getting really good at teaching and learning and understanding how to assess and develop children’s progress. Scottish education also needs to understand at a deeper level how to manage children’s behaviour in school so that everyone can learn in a safe and positive environment. This is a complex task but is doable with planning, preparation and interventions in place. To date, the Scottish education system, with a few exceptions, is largely proficient in neither. Those schools which are making progress are most likely paying scant attention to the RSHP! Well done them!

Carolyn Brown ScotPAG Convenor