Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 66976 on Relationships and Sex Education: Suicide, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance to include suicide prevention as a compulsory subject.

All pupils in schools are taught about mental health as part of the relationships, sex and health Education (RSHE) curriculum, which the Department has made mandatory in 2020 to ensure that all pupils are taught about important topics. Schools can teach older pupils about suicide in an age appropriate and sensitive way.

Ministers are aware of the interest in the inclusion of suicide prevention material in the RSHE curriculum and have written to key campaigners about this important topic.

The Department is bringing forward the review of the RSHE statutory guidance, and the revised guidance will be published in 2024. The Department is taking a comprehensive, evidence based approach in deciding what should be included and suicide prevention will be considered in the review.