6. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Relationships and Sexuality Education

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:09 pm on 22 May 2018.

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Photo of Michelle Brown Michelle Brown UKIP 5:09, 22 May 2018

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement today. I'm sure everyone in this Chamber will agree that relationships and sexuality can be complicated and are very rarely straightforward. For young people, they can be confusing and, in some cases, difficult to understand. In your statement, you are right to allude to the damage done by section 28, and, thankfully, it's now confined to history. We must always accept people, no matter what their sexuality or gender—something that has overwhelming support from the majority in today's society. But I'm sure that I'm not the only Member in the Chamber to have concerns over the overhaul of sex education in Wales. It is the role of the national curriculum in Wales to facilitate children's education by identifying pupils' abilities and encouraging them to be the best they can be, whether it's in academia or extracurricular activity or, hopefully, both. It's essential that schools do provide support for children as they develop relationships and begin to understand their sexuality. However, this should be done at an appropriate age and should be led by the child. I'm startled to see in the expert panel's report and your statement today that children as young as five years old will be taught relationships and sexuality education. Cabinet Secretary, surely you must agree that we should encourage children to focus on their schooling and forging friendships with their classmates without over-complicating their childhood. I firmly believe that it's the role of parents to educate their children on relationships and provide valuable lessons on consent and what's appropriate behaviour. UKIP have long opposed interference from government on matters of sexuality and sex education, especially for younger children, and we stand by our manifesto commitment that any form of sex education should not be taught in schools to anyone under the age of 11 years old. From the statement today, it is clear that the Welsh Government think that they know best. We believe parents know best. The Cabinet Secretary assures us that she does not intend that children are taught topics that they—[Interruption.] It's a response to a statement.