Reforms to sex education in UK schools will “save lives”, insists Epsom & Ewell MP

Liberal Democrat MP, Helen Maguire, has hailed reforms to relationship, health and sex education (RHSE) in UK schools as a “significant step towards ending violence against women and girls”.

Anti-misogyny classes, the harms caused by AI “deepfakes” and unhealthy attitudes towards consent will be taught in classes under new government guidance for schools.

Pupils will also be taught “how to identify and learn from positive male role models”.

The Government has outlined areas that should be introduced in primary school and what students should learn by the end of secondary school, something the Department for Education says this approach will ensure that children are not taught content they are too young to understand.

The secondary school curriculum will include:

● The sexual norms endorsed by so-called "involuntary celibates" (incels) or online influencers
● AI-generated sexual imagery and deepfakes
● How pornography links to misogyny
● Sexual ethics beyond consent and the awareness of power dynamics

Helen Maguire has long called for reforms to RHSE in schools following the deaths of two female secondary school teachers in Epsom & Ewell and hosted a Westminster Hall Debate in April on Relationship Education in schools.

Following her Westminster Hall Debate, Helen Maguire wrote to the Education Secretary urging her Department to update the 2019 guidance to reflect the realities of young people’s lives today. 

The charity Let Me Know found that 60% of the young people polled did not know the signs of a healthy or unhealthy relationship. Despite increasing political attention, sexual assault rates among women aged 16 - 59 rose from 3.4% in 2009-10 to 4.3% in 2023-24. One in four women and one in six men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, with those aged 16 - 19 most at risk.

The new guidance, which schools will begin implementing this autumn, will come into full legal force from September 2026.

Responding, Liberal Democrat MP for Epsom & Ewell, Helen Maguire said:

“I’m pleased that the Government has finally listened to what I, and hundreds of campaigners, have been calling for. Tackling violence against women and girls starts with prevention, and reforms to RHSE in our schools will save lives.

“We need to stop treating violence against women and girls as something that can be addressed only after the fact – after a woman has been assaulted, coerced, or has lost her life. We need to act before it happens, and that starts with education and empowering our young people with the knowledge of what a healthy relationship is.”

“While there is no magic wand to fix these issues overnight, these reforms are a significant step towards ending violence against women and girls in Epsom & Ewell and beyond”.