LGBT History Month

Education is a devolved policy area. As a result, teaching relevant to LGBT issues is covered in different ways in the four countries.

Local authority maintained schools in England are obliged to teach sex and relationships education (SRE) from age 11 upwards, and must have regard to the Government’s SRE guidance.  Academies and free schools, the majority in secondary education in England, do not have to follow the National Curriculum and so are not under this obligation. Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence includes relationships, sexual health and parenthood education as part of its health and wellbeing strand. In Wales, all maintained secondary schools are required to include sex education for all registered pupils as part of the basic curriculum of the school. The Department of Education in Northern Ireland requires all grant-aided schools to develop their own policy on how they will address Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) within the curriculum.