In June 2023, the UK Government brought forward regulations forcing schools in Northern Ireland to teach students aged 11 to 16 years old (key stages 3 and 4) about abortion under ‘Relationships and Sexuality Education’ (RSE). This approach was heavily criticised by the highly respected House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee. Unusually, there was no public consultation on the regulations prior to them coming into effect, in contrast to other comparable policy changes, including changes to RSE in England.
However, the Northern Ireland Department of Education has launched a consultation with limited scope after the regulations have already been approved, relating to the circumstances under which parents should be able to withdraw their children from this content in schools.
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