Government reports reveal homophobia in faith schools

Some faith schools refuse to teach about same-sex marriage and pupils have concerns about ‘homophobic’ external speakers, recent reports published by the Department for Education (DfE) have revealed.

Humanists UK, which campaigns for evidence-led, age-appropriate relationships and sex education (RSE) and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), has said the reports provide compelling evidence for the need for the subject to be taught objectively and be free from religious influence. 

One report, the findings of survey work of pupils, teachers, school leaders, and RSE coordinators into the implementation of statutory guidance on RSE, found that some Catholic schools ‘would not teach explicitly about same sex marriage’. A second report, an evaluation of the previous government’s anti-homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying programme in schools, heard how some pupils welcomed external speakers but found some of the content being delivered uncomfortable and inappropriate. One pupil quoted in the report said it was:

‘good for people to understand that there are different views, but bringing in someone who is just going to say, “oh you’re going to hell”, and just spout homophobic things… If you are part of the LGBT community and in the same room as someone saying, “oh this is wrong, this is not good”, that makes you feel horrible.’

Another pupil told the review that the only LGBT content they were taught was part of religious education and was essentially ‘Catholics don’t like homosexuality.’

A third report into teaching relationships and sex education (RSE) to prevent sexual abuse recommended that RSE curriculum should be inclusive of LGBT issues, and that RSE ‘is most effective when begun early’. 

Humanists UK is a longstanding member of the Sex Education Forum and the PSHE Forum, and campaigns for good quality, age and developmentally appropriate, and evidence-led Relationships and Sex Education. It has decades of working in this area. It recently responded to the Sunak Government’s RSE consultation and will be submitting evidence to the Labour Government’s recently announced curriculum and assessment review. 

Humanists UK’s Education Campaigns Manager Lewis Young said:

‘These reports all highlight the need for evidence-based RSE so that all children receive an accurate, comprehensive education that would allow them to have healthy and fulfilling relationships. Nor should there be any faith-based carve-outs which could result in faith schools teaching biased content to the detriment of young people’s education.

‘RSE must be inclusive and equip children with the facts, and it must be compulsory for all children with no parental rights to withdraw. We’ll be calling for that in our submission to the new government’s curriculum and assessment review.’