TRIGGER WARNING - Domestic Abuse

This petition and campaign call on the government to extend and mandate RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) to KS5 students (sixth form and college students aged 16-18) as one step in a wider societal approach to preventing violence against women and girls.

As part of my petition ask I am also asking that Bridget Phillipson as the Secretary of State for Education and the Prime Minister meet with me about the issue of teenage domestic abuse and current RSE provision. 

My name is Faustine, I am a student at the University of Cambridge and a young survivor of a violent and abusive relationship that started when I was 16 years old. As a teenager I would have benefited from being provided with RSE after year 11 and an adequate education surrounding the early warning signs of domestic abuse, the different forms abuse can take such as coercive control and places to get help.

Teaching on domestic abuse and healthy relationships is a compulsory part of the Relationships and Sex Education( RSE) curriculum in all state secondary schools. This covers Years 7 to Year 11, also known as Key Stage 4 (KS4). However, the current model completely ignores sixth formers, apprenticeship students and college students, as it is NOT a mandatory requirement for RSE to be taught beyond 16 years old, despite young people being in education up to the age of 18.

Students aged 16-18 (KS5) are at a crucial and vulnerable stage in their lives and must receive Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) that includes comprehensive lessons on domestic abuse including coercive control, healthy relationships, and signposting to local support services.

Government data highlights the urgency of this issue. Statistics from the ONS (year ending March 2024) show that 16-19-year-olds experience the highest rates of domestic abuse (8%) of any age group. Yet, mandatory RSE ends at 16, leaving them without vital education on recognising abuse and seeking help.

Domestic abuse is an epidemic. In 2025, police receive a domestic abuse-related call every 30 seconds. One in four women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime, and on average, one woman is killed by a partner or ex every five days. Domestic abuse is also a major driver of suicide—around three women a week die by suicide as a result of domestic abuse. Young girls in the UK report alarmingly high rates of sexual violence in relationships. A shocking 41% of UK girls aged 14-17 in an intimate relationship have experienced some form of sexual violence from their partner.

Sixth forms and colleges have a duty of care to protect their students of all gender identities and backgrounds from falling into the vicious cycle of perpetrating or suffering abuse.

It is unacceptable that young people most at risk are left without education that could protect them. I am calling for mandatory RSE for 16-18-year-olds to ensure they have the knowledge and support to navigate relationships safely. 

Education can save lives and prevention is the most effective solution to the problem. 

Please sign this petition - to help protect all of Britain’s youth, as domestic abuse does not discriminate.