Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to retain the requirement in section 148 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000, that pupils learn about the nature of marriage and importance for family life and the bringing up of children, when they lay regulations under section 34 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 which provide for all schools in England to teach relationship education.

The government agrees that pupils need to understand the nature of marriage and its importance. We expect that the regulations and guidance will reflect fully the value of strong and stable relationships based on commitment, including marriage and civil partnerships.

The government legislated via the Children and Social Work Act 2017 to place a duty on the Secretary of State for Education to make Relationships Education at primary school and Relationships and Sex Education at secondary school mandatory through regulations.

These subjects will cover the core, age-appropriate knowledge that all children need to form safe, positive relationships based on respect and to prepare them for adult life, which includes family life.

The Department for Education is conducting a thorough and wide-ranging engagement with stakeholders, including a call for evidence, to help inform the development of the regulations as well as accompanying statutory guidance for all schools. The department will then consult on the draft regulations and guidance before they are debated in the House.