The government's draft RSHE guidance imposes unnecessary restrictions on educational content, putting young people's safety at risk in an increasingly complex and online world where explicit content is easily available. 

The draft guidance is not supported by research and is based on arbitrary, ideological assumptions of appropriateness which are detached from the reality of young peoples' lives. One fifth of young people already find their RSHE information online and such restrictions will leave young people ever more reliant on unverified, potentially harmful online content including pornographic content.  The ban on teaching about gender identity will promote stigma and bullying of marginalised young people in an environment where they should feel safe. The restriction on teaching about puberty means people may experience their periods at a time when their teacher is unable to explain what has occurred. The restrictions on the teaching of STIs mean young people will be vaccinated for HPV a year before they could be taught what they were being vaccinated against. Finally, the restrictions on FGM education mean such content would be covered after the age at which young people are at the greatest risk of FGM (5-9). With STI rates at record levels, gender-based violence occurring in schools and LGBTQ+ people continuing to experience higher rates of bullying than their peers, the proposed changes would be a damaging stepback that do not have the best interests of young people at heart.  

It is crucial that young people are genuinely consulted before any changes are implemented to ensure their needs and perspectives are adequately addressed. Sign this petition to remove the restrictive draft guidance (dump the draft) and call for a commitment to meaningful consultation with young people on RSHE content.