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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:31 pm on 22 May 2018.

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Photo of Kirsty Williams Kirsty Williams Liberal Democrat 5:31, 22 May 2018

Thank you very much, Julie. I think there are a number of people in this Chamber who had involvement in some way or another with section 28—some people desperately trying to oppose it, and, unfortunately, I understand there is one Member here—well, not here in the Chamber at the moment—who actually voted for it, and I'm glad that we've been able to move such a long way.

Julie, I absolutely agree with you. What is very clear in the expert group's report is that this area is best developed as a whole-school approach, and that means schools working with parents and the wider community about what is going on in their school. There may be parents who have genuine anxieties, there may be parents who've heard some of the myths and are a bit unclear about what this may entail, but as with many aspects of education, we know our children do best when schools positively engage with parents. After quality of teaching, parental influence and parental engagement of education is the second biggest factor that influences educational outcomes. The more that we can do to get schools working with parents on this subject, on all subjects, then that leads to better outcomes for their children. And I haven't met a parent yet who doesn't want better outcomes for their children.