The Department for Education (DfE) are seeking views on the draft regulations, statutory guidance, and regulatory impact assessment relating to Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education. Below you will find a breakdown of the key points pertitnent to bullying and cyberbullying. 
Introduction
During passage of the Children and Social Work Act in 2017, the government recognised that there was a compelling case to make Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory through regulations, and to consider doing the same for Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) or elements of the subject. The Act also provides a power for the Secretary of State to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE), or elements of the subject, mandatory in all schools.
In February the Anti-Bullying Alliance submitted a response to a call for evidence about what statutory relationships and sex education and potential statutory PSHE should involve. You can read ABA's response at the bottom of this page.
On the 19th July 2018, DfE released regulations, statutory guidance and regulatory impact assessment, on which the department is now consulting. This includes the department’s decision to make Health Education compulsory, but not all of PSHE.
This consultation asks for views on the draft regulations and statutory guidance relating to Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education, and whether the statutory guidance provides sufficient information and support to schools in teaching the subjects. The consultation also asks for views on the regulatory impact assessment relating to the subjects. The responses to this consultation will help the department finalise the draft regulations and statutory guidance before the regulations are put before Parliament and the guidance finally published. Deadline for responses to this consultation is the 7th November 2018.
You can read the full consultation documents here
ABA will be responding to this consultation with support from our Members and Advisory Group. We will focus specifically on bullying and endorse the wider submission from the Sex Education Forum.
Primary Relationships Education
DfE propose subject content for Relationships Education should focus on the following category headings:
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring friendships
- Respectful relationships
- Online relationships
- Being safe
They do not propose to make sex education compulsory for schools and instead allow schools to opt in to providing sex education.
Secondary Relationships and Sex Education
DfE propose subject content focusing on the following category headings:
- Families
- Respectful relationships, including friendships
- Online and media
- Being safe
- Intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health
Right to be withdraw from sex education
Parents have the right at primary or secondary to withdraw their children from sex education. They do not have this right for relationships education.
Health Education
ABA had hoped that DfE would makePersonal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) statutory and had stated that in our response in February 2018 (see below). They had decided to make Health Education statutory instead. These requirements will sit alongside the Relationships Education (primary) and Relationships and Sex Education (secondary) duties.
DfE propose statutory Health Educaton should include:
- Mental wellbeing
- Internet safety and harms
- Physical health and fitness
- Healthy eating
- Drugs and alcohol
- Health and prevention
- Basic first aid
- Changing adolescents’ bodies
They will not include financial education as they have decided that that is covered through maths and citizenship.
Time frames
All schools will be required to follow the new curriculum by September 2020. However the will recruit pilot and early adopter schools from September 2019 and develop training materials.
The draft guidance and bullying
What's included?
- The guidance recognises that some people (including disabled children and those with SEN) are more vulnerable to experience bullying
- The guidance includes bullying (including cyberbullying) to be covered under 'Respectful relationships' for primary schools. It says that by the end of Primary School pupils should know:
- about different types of bullying (inc cyberbullying)
- the impact of bullying
- the responsibility of bystanders (primarily of reporting to an adult)
- how to get help about bullying
- The guidance includes bullying (including cyberbullying) to be covered under 'Respectful relationships' for secondary schools. It says that schools should build on knowledge started in Primary Relationships Education and pupils should know:
- about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying)
- the impact of bullying
- the responsibility of bystanders to report
- how to get help about bullying
- Under Health Education in primary schools, schools should cover that:
- bullying (including cyerbullying) has a long lasting impact on mental wellbeing
- bullying and harrassment can happen online
- Under Health Education in secondary schools, schools should build on learning in primary schools and cover how:
- to identify bullying online
- to report bullying online
- to get support if they have been affected by bullying online
- It says that bullying schools should take into account their whole school approach to reducing and responding to bullying