Engaging Parents in an Inclusive RSE Curriculum

The 2020/2021 RSE guidance advises that the role of parents and community in the development of their children’s understanding about healthy relationships is vital. This runs true with all children’s educational journey, those who care for them outside of school hours have a huge impact on their development, learning and experience of the world around them. The outcome almost seems obvious: working with parents in developing an inclusive RSE curriculum that can be learnt at school and spoken about at home. The question however, is how can this be done (and how is it already being done) in a way that is practical for everybody.

Working with parents

Advising that schools should work closely with parents when planning and delivering these subjects has the potential to mitigate any backlash that may occur if they weren’t involved, however it can lead to disputes and altercations if parents aren’t happy with the curriculum. This heavy responsibility is placed on teachers to address concerns, and advise parents when navigating these conversations with their own children. Schools are required to develop an RSE policy in order to support the class teacher with this, but as each policy is different, what is the most effective process for staff, parents and pupils alike?

Moral belief differences, religious factors or simply feeling protective of what their child does/doesn’t learn are all factors towards reluctance from parents. Schools and educators however, have to make the judgement between culturally sensitive objections and small minded bigotry, both of which need to be addressed in the relevant and appropriate ways. The answerability placed on a class teacher is certainly a heavy weight, but the good news is that there are thousands of educators in the same position, all with differing experiences and best practices in how to deal with these situations.

Reflecting the community

“Schools should ensure that the policy meets the needs of pupils and parents and reflects the community they serve” (Page 11, DFE Guidance).

While the above means well, what if a school resides in a tiny rural village, whose population is primarily white, nuclear families? Reflecting the community in which a child lives is contextually important — but it could lead to potential biases and a misunderstanding of society. The teaching of such should be a natural incorporation, rather than the ‘othering’ that many LGBTQ+ individuals already experience in daily life. Whilst this natural inclusion is addressed in the guidance, educators are given no specific advice on how to do so effectively, whilst working with parents and reflecting the community.

Equally, at home, some parents may not feel they have the tools or experience to talk openly about all forms of relationships. For instance, if they live in the aforementioned tiny rural village and have done so for most of their lives (which definitely ran true for the town in which I grew up), it may never cross their minds to educate themselves, or indeed their children, on LGBTQ+ inclusion and diversity, as perhaps it was something they never thought about day to day. Opportunities should be openly available for parents to be educated about these topics, so as to ensure a natural teaching of them both at home and at school.

How have you looked to engage parents and consider community in your RSE curriculum? Share your best practice below.