Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including misogyny and violence against women and girls in Relationships and Sex Education guidance.

The government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade. Education has a crucial role to play in tackling harmful behaviour and helping children and young people to develop empathy, boundaries and respect for difference.

Through compulsory relationships education, all pupils should already learn how to form positive and respectful relationships and develop an understanding of the concepts and laws around sexual harassment and sexual violence. The existing Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance emphasises that schools should be alive to issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and gender stereotypes, and take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated. It states that any occurrences should be identified and tackled. The guidance is clear that schools should provide pupils with the knowledge they need to recognise and report abuse, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

​​The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum for primary and secondary pupils, and as part of this review we are looking at how to ensure that relationships education effectively equips pupils to form healthy and respectful relationships. We are analysing consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering relevant evidence to determine what curriculum changes might be needed to complement our wider actions to tackle misogyny and VAWG.