Herefordshire Council raise "serious concerns" over sex education programme at Roman Catholic school
'A Fertile Heart' programme is being run at St Mary's in Lugwardine
Herefordshire Council have raised "serious concerns" about a sex and relationships education programme being taught at a Roman Catholic high school near Hereford.
St Mary's in Lugwardine is teaching 'A Fertile Heart' programme which says contraception is wrong, that gay and lesbian people cannot marry and must abstain from sex.
The programme, which has the approval of the Archdiocese of Cardiff, also says that men were ‘created to initiate sexual relationships’ and women to be ‘receiver-responders’.
Children and families cabinet member at the council says she has serious concerns about the use of The Fertile Heart in any of the county’s schools.
Felicity Norman said:
“It seems to be at odds with the essential role of a school to foster caring and cooperative relations between all children and staff, to respect differences and to support and encourage children as they negotiate the difficulties of adolescence.
“We are disturbed at the failure of the Archdiocese of Cardiff, responsible for directing its schools as to what it teaches, to respond to us over this or other matters concerning the safeguarding of children, in spite of attempts on our part to engage with them.
“The Local Authority has no power over what schools under the Archdiocese of Cardiff choose to teach within Herefordshire.”
Sue Sanders, Chair of Schools Out UK - and co-founder of LGBT History Month, said:
"If kids are being given information which leaves out PGBT people then it has a massive problematic effect.
"It supports their inability to feel comfortable about themselves, it supports homophobia and transphobia, and it puts people into a very difficult place.
"With programmes like these, it very much depends on the reading and the interpretation of it.
"There will be some people which use religion to be problematic and there will some which use it to totally and utterly be supportive".
Last Novermber, MP Stella Creasy asked the Secretary of State for Education whether the materials published on the website A Fertile Heart are permitted to be used in schools according to the Government guidance.
Minister of State for Schools Nick Gibb said it is for schools to decide which resources they choose to support the teaching of RSHE.
He said the Department for Education’s ‘Plan your relationships, sex and health curriculum’ implementation guidance, building on the content of the statutory RSHE guidance, includes clear advice on choosing resources.
In a statement, Headteacher Stuart Wetson, said:
“In accordance with the Department for Education’s guidance on Relationships and Sex Education, we are committed to providing our pupils with opportunities for broad and balanced debate on a range of issues whilst teaching distinctive faith perspectives on relationships.
“We continue to review and evaluate our practice, sharing feedback from teachers, pupils and parents with the Archdiocese of Cardiff and the publishers of key resources.
“Please see our most recent Ofsted and Section 48 Inspection reports, which comment directly on our ‘Outstanding’ provision in all areas.”