Young People’s RSE Poll 2024: Why we need high-quality RSE more than ever 

Sex Education Forum’s Young People’s RSE Poll 2024 shares insights from over 1000 16-17 year olds on what they really think about the Relationships and Sex Education they receive in school. In this blog Brook’s Senior Communications and Policy Coordinator, Eliza Bell, discusses the findings. 

Brook welcomes Sex Education Forum’s Young People’s RSE Poll 2024. As ever, the poll is a useful tool for tracking year-on-year progress in the universal provision of high-quality RSE.  

We’re pleased to see progress in the provision of high-quality Relationships and Sex Education but it’s disappointing that nearly half of students learned nothing at all or not enough at school on power imbalances in relationships (49%) or porn (49%). Young people are clear about the need for RSE to include discussion of pornography, and what kinds of discussions would be helpful. When we worked with a group of young people to improve pornography education in Wales, the majority told us they wanted to receive education and information about this topic in school. 

At a time of rising STIs among young people it is striking that only 46% learned about how to access local sexual health services. Schools clearly do not feel confident to deliver lessons on these critical subjects and we support the respondents’ calls for better training for teachers to further improve RSE.  

Similarly, in our recent survey of over 2000 young people, participants highlighted a need for more comprehensive sex education in schools including how to access services, types of contraception available and more information for people in non-heterosexual relationships.  

We, therefore, welcome the calls in SEF’s report for RSE to be more comprehensive and timely, with young people stating: “I think by the time my school did anything, for some people it was already too late.” And “Spend more time on it, as I believe it’s very important and needs to be taught in more detail.” These calls from young people for more detailed RSE at an earlier age is in stark contrast to the remit of the RSHE guidance review which was to set age ratings for specific kinds of information. We also strongly endorse the call from Make It Mandatory in the report’s foreword to extend teaching of RSE to Key Stage 5, to allow time for these key learnings to be expanded on and reinforced. 

Given the clear gaps in RSE provision, it comes as no surprise that young people are turning elsewhere for answers.

The poll suggests that nearly a fifth of young people use the internet as their main source of information around sexual health and relationships, with 22% of young people saying the internet was their main source of information on pornography, and 15% saying they turned to pornography itself. Social media was also highlighted as a popular source of information, with 30% of young people turning to social media as their main source of information about sexual orientation and gender identity, ahead of school (25%). 

While brilliant, timely, RSE can go a long way in providing key information and tackling misinformation and stigma, we know that information provided in the classroom alone is not enough. Nor should we underestimate the many useful sources of information and support online. The findings from the poll highlight an important opportunity to develop young people’s critical thinking skills so that they are equipped to safely navigate the information they seek online, and to discern reliable content from myths and mistruths, wherever they encounter them. 

Ultimately, young people have consistently told us that they want to receive better Relationships and Sex Education at school. They will also continue to supplement this with information they seek out on social media, because it’s convenient and can be done in private without asking ‘embarrassing’ questions. That’s why it’s so important that the RSE they do receive is comprehensive, relevant and evidence-based. It should provide a core framework for understanding and information, and equip students with the tools to thoughtfully interrogate information they receive elsewhere. 

Brook believes all young people have the right to high-quality RSE.

It is clear from the young people’s feedback that a key way to achieve this is for the government to provide adequate funding to train and upskill the teaching workforce to ensure sufficient numbers of teachers are competent, informed and confident to delivery RSE.  

The poll is a clear example of why it’s essential that we consult young people and include their voice whenever we are discussing the issues that affect them, as their perspective always brings valuable insight and nuance. Indeed, the poll shows that only a third of young people felt they were asked their opinions on RSE and only 30% said they were asked and the school acted on them. We must ask for and listen to young people’s feedback if we want to deliver RSE that is effective and relevant. 

RSE must reflect young people’s expressed needs. Schools and other providers should routinely ask and evaluate what young people want to learn and the most effective methods of teaching and learning.