“Relationships and Sex Education: Philosophical and Historical Perspectives” – Virtual Conference
Relationships and Sex Education: Philosophical and Historical Perspectives
4-5 June 2021 Virtual Conference
Call for Papers
In September 2020, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) became a compulsory subject in English schools. The new Statutory Guidance on RSE specifies what pupils should know by the end of their schooling about families, friendships, online relationships, intimate and sexual relationships, and issues of consent, coercion, safety and abuse. Teaching on these topics is to be underpinned by ‘the deliberate cultivation of character traits and positive personal attributes’.
The Guidance also stipulates that all pupils must be taught LGBT content: ‘sexual orientation and gender identity should be explored at a timely point and in a clear, sensitive and respectful manner’. This requirement has proved to be controversial, with well-publicised protests outside a number of Birmingham primary schools in 2019 over their positive representations of same-sex relationships. The ongoing controversy has led to criticism of the Guidance for being too vague about the timing and content of LGBT teaching.
To mark the arrival of statutory RSE in England, the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain (PESGB) and the History of Education Society UK (HES UK) are hosting an international virtual conference on relationships and sex education. The conference will be a unique opportunity for philosophers and historians to reflect together on the pressing questions of policy and practice raised by this vital area of educational provision.
