HC Deb 11 March 2003 vol 401 c169W
Mr. Rosindell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what options are available to parents of children attending schools which teach forms of sexual education that they deem inappropriate for their children to be exposed to on moral or religious grounds.[101969]

Mr. Miliband

Parents should be consulted by their child's school about its sex and relationship education (SRE) policy and informed about what is taught in SRE lessons. Policies should be culturally appropriate and inclusive of all children. Consulting pupils and their families will help establish what is appropriate and acceptable to them. Where schools work within the SRE guidelines that the Department published in July 2000, and consult effectively, parents should be reassured about the content of lessons.

Parents do have the right to withdraw their child from some, or all, SRE lessons, but not statutory science lessons. Parents who are considering such a step should talk it through with their child and then with either the headteacher or another senior teacher at the school. The schools should provide information about the lessons being missed and ideas for other sources of support for the parent to fulfil the task of educating their child.