Education

Welsh Relationships and Sexuality Education Code: Parental choice vs children’s education

Published

4 years ago

May 3, 2022

A GROUP calling itself Public Child Protection Wales is fundraising for a legal challenge to the Welsh Government’s Relationships and Sexuality Education Code.
The Code passed the Senedd as part of the Curriculum for Wales.
The group claims to have raised £13,000 of the £100,000 it says it needs to bring the case.
It has already acquired the services of a barrister, Paul Diamond.

PCP Wales: Barrister Paul Diamond to take on Welsh Government (Pic Herald archive)

CODE ENDS PARENTAL CHOICE

The Code makes Relationships and Sexuality Education compulsory and ends a parent’s right to exclude their children from such lessons.
Public Child Protection Wales says it is for parents to decide the appropriateness of Relationships and Sexuality Education for their children and not for the state to intervene in their right to keep their children either ignorant or enlightened on the subject.
While PCP Wales claims to be a non-party political group, its cause has been taken up by extremist and fringe right-wing organisations who have tried to jump on the bandwagon to publicise their political agendas.
PCP Wales says its aims are “to promote a high standard of Safeguarding and raise awareness of exploitation and abuse of children. We will challenge policies that fail to safeguard and fight for additional investment in Children and young people’s services.”
Its intervention in Relationship and Sexuality Education extends “safeguarding” to include a final parental say over whether a child receives that education from their parents or teachers.

PEMBROKESHIRE AND PCPW

A case against Paul Dowson, county councillor for the Pembroke Dock Central Ward, relating to PCPW’s campaign goes before the Adjudication Panel for Wales later this year.
Councillor Dowson published a Facebook post stating that 0-3-year-olds “will” be taught about masturbation and that the new RSE curriculum “includes teaching 13-year-old boys and girls about anal sex”.
That is untrue, and the Ombudsman described the first of those allegations as particularly “outrageous and unpleasant”.
In an email to a fellow councillor, Councillor Dowson said RSE lesson plans teach 3-year-olds about masturbation and 11-year-olds and upwards about bondage, anal sex, and facial ejaculation.
Those untrue statements do not originate with Paul Dowson. They derive from misinformation peddled by individuals trying to outrage the public and incite opposition to the new Code.
The Ombudsman concluded: “I have seen no evidence that Councillor Dowson has evidence as to the content of the RSE curriculum or its lesson plans over and above that which is publicly available from Welsh Government.”
As a result, the Ombudsman concluded Paul Dowson’s posts were disinformation and alleged they brought his office as councillor into disrepute.
Paul Dowson rejects the allegations and criticisms, which form one part of a disciplinary case to be heard later this year.

CODE CONTENT UNPUBLISHED

While that might appear irrelevant to the campaign headed by PCP Wales, it goes towards the continuing miasma of disinformation, misinformation, and alarmism published on its Facebook page.
While RSE is taught in many countries in one form or another, teaching methods vary. In short: “For Wales, do not see “England”.
Moreover, as the lesson plans and Code content remain – as yet – unpublished, any information about alleged lesson plans and the course content is speculation at best and spurious at worst.
Therefore, the key issue cannot be what the course will teach – or even what campaigners imagine it will teach.
Instead, the core of any legal action against the Welsh Government must be on either “religious exemption” – the position before the new Curriculum became law – or an infringement on a parental choice about what their children are taught.
The religious exemption would be an arguable point only after the Welsh Government issues its guidance on the Code and lessons’ content. There is no engagement of any potential religious right to refuse until then.

PARENTAL CHOICE AND THE RIGHT TO LEARN

So, the case must centre on the question of parental choice.
PCP Wales is clear that’s their main objection – apart from scare stories about what the Welsh RSE Code might mandate.
They say: “[W]e must fight the legislation which mandates this over parental rights, preventing the parent carer from acting in the child’s best interest and be the judge as to what is age appropriate. It is time the adults shouldered the responsibility of sex education in the form of appropriate Safeguarding.”
PCP Wales trusts neither the Welsh Government, local authorities, maintained schools, headteachers, teachers, nor school governors to act appropriately or to gauge what is age-appropriate for a child. They assert parental autonomy and parental choice as the determining factor in what children learn in school.
Carried to absurd lengths, that train of argument would give parents control of everything taught in schools, or at least an ideological say over what their children learn about literature, history, or science.

LEGAL SERVICES OR SUPPORT

PCP Wales has instructed the independent barrister Paul Diamond to fight their case.
According to his website, Paul Diamond is “the leading barrister on the law of religious liberty, including matters of both ethical and social conscience.
“He combines his considerable strength in the field of religious liberty with his knowledge of public and European law. Paul is a specialist in European Human Rights law, EU law and certain aspects of public law.
“He has served as Standing Counsel to the Christian Legal Centre, a sister organisation of Christian Concern as well as the Keep Sunday Special Campaign.”
On its website, the Christian Legal Centre says: “We’re here to safeguard the freedom of Christians to live and speak for Jesus Christ, and to provide legal support for those taking a stand for Jesus and the truth that flows from him.”
The Christian Legal Centre is not a regulated legal practice and has no standing to instruct a barrister to act on behalf of clients.
Its interventions in public interest cases have been the subject of strong judicial criticism, which it rejects.
CLC’s interventions in cases are not meritless.
Freedom of religion and speech underpin civil society. However, the law is secular, created by legislatures, and subject to judicial interpretation.
However, to show the Welsh Government acted in such a way as to either infringe a protected right, whether relying on statutory breach or legal precedent, PCP Wales will have to demonstrate a real loss of a real existing right protected by real law.

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT RESPONDS

A spokesperson said: “It is disappointing that this group continues to promote incorrect and misleading claims about Relationships and Sexuality Education in Wales’s new curriculum.
“Topics like online safety, consent, and sexual health are all included in the Code, but at developmentally appropriate stages so learners aren’t exposed to things that aren’t appropriate to their age and development.
“At a younger age, for example, children will be taught about treating each other with kindness and empathy.
“As children grow older, they will gain an understanding of topics such as online safety, consent, and sexual health – all of which will be handled in a sensitive way.
“These reforms have been welcomed by a number of respected organisations including the NSPCC, the Children’s Commissioner’s Office, and Welsh Women’s Aid.”

Community

Pleas to save fire-ravaged Manorbier school site heard

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PLEA for councillors to not act as “judge, jury and executioner” when the potential closure of fire-ravaged Manorbier is decided upon next year was heard at full council.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a petition opposing the potential closure of Manorbier School.

Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space.

After that, a ‘school from school’ was set up in Jameston Village Hall.

It had been hoped the school would be rebuilt, but earlier this year members of Pembrokeshire County Council backed a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which, amongst other recommendations, included a statutory consultation on proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School.

The decision attracted strong local opposition, with more than 1,500 people signing a petition on the council’s own website calling for the school to be rebuilt, meaning it passed the threshold for a formal hearing by members of the council.

The formal consultation for the discontinuation of Manorbier closes in just a few days on December 19.

Manorbier community councillor Richard Hughes

However, many of the council’s figures, especially on the level of surplus places at the school, have been strongly disputed.

Speaking at the December meeting, Richard Hughes, of Manorbier Community Council, said the council consultation was “deeply flawed and unlawful,” the quoted capacity figures after the fire damaged the original building “null and void,” with a true surplus of some 21 per cent.

“The school is clearly thriving under less-than-ideal conditions, your report claims 59 per cent [surplus], it’s misleading and artificial.”

He said the council was acting as “judge, jury and executioner” in its “deeply flawed” consultation.

Cllr Phil Kidney

Local member Cllr Phil Kidney said the staff, parents and pupils had been “living this process for three years,” adding: “At worst light we were misled for three years, living under this shadow, it’s not fair.

“We’ve been promised all along ‘we will rebuild this school; no matter what we do we will have to spend on this school, we have to hand it back in [a useable] condition.

“How members of staff have worked under these conditions for three years is amazing, the service they are providing in that school is fantastic.”

He criticised the consultation wording, feeling it painted Manorbier in an unfair light, saying it was stacked heavily in favour of St Florence school in a submitted question heard later at the meeting.

“We do feel there’s a hidden agenda, nothing more than a boost for St Florence school; we were led to believe was all about the positives and the negatives for the school; we have lost the trust in the director of education, we still feel we’re not been listened to.”

He said it was important councillors, when a final vote on Manorbier’s future, expected in March, keep an open mind “not just going along with the narrative: ‘We can’t afford it, and the figures are going down’.”

He went on to say: “We want to get the right vote, the moral vote, and get the school rebuilt.”

Cllr Guy Woodham

Cabinet member for education Cllr Guy Woodham praised the work at the school following the fire, saying he intended to “set the facts out” when it came to a final decision.

Leader of the independent group Cllr Huw Murphy said: “It just doesn’t sit right with me to close a school that has burned to the ground. Yes, we will respect the decision in March, however we haven’t handled the decision well. We need to do what’s right, and we haven’t done what’s right for Manorbier.”

Members agreed to note receipt of the petition prior to the final report before council in 2026.

Later in the meeting, Cllr Woodham disputed Cllr Kidney’s submitted question claim, Cllr Kidney telling Cllr Woodham: “We’ve put a lot of trust and faith in you on this consultation to make sure it’s fair and transparent. St Florence was referenced more times than our school, for a consultation I think it’s misleading.”

Cllr Woodham responded: “I will do my utmost to give a balanced report when I bring it back to full council.”

Community

Plea to save Tegryn Ysgol Clydau school heard by councillors

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PLEA to not “pluck the heart out of a community” by closing a Pembrokeshire village school was heard by councillors just days after a consultation into its future was launched.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a petition opposing the potential closure of Ysgol Clydau, Tegryn, which had generated 648 responses on the council’s own website, meaning it crossed the threshold to be heard at full council.

A council statement accompanying the launch of the consultation said: “At its meeting on May 8, Pembrokeshire County Council considered a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which outlined the findings of a review of education provision in the Preseli area.

“In particular the review considered the extent of surplus school places in the area, set against a significant decline in the pupil population.”

The Ysgol Clydau petition states: “We demand that Pembrokeshire County Council reconsider its decision to close Ysgol Clydau and instead prioritise the needs of our community by keeping the school open. We oppose the closure of Ysgol Clydau and call for full public scrutiny before any decision is made.

“We urge you to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the community, listen to our concerns, and work with us to find alternative solutions that support the needs of our children and families.”

Sarah Farnden

Speaking at the meeting on behalf of the petitioners, Sarah Farnden, in an emotive plea, said the school was “not just a school but a sanctuary, a nurturing environment,” which offered “warmth, belonging and safety”.

“A village without a school becomes a village without families, a village without families becomes a village without a future,” she told members, adding: “Ysgol Clydau is not in debt, it’s not overspent, we’ve done everything asked of us, so why are we being punished?

“There has been a school on this site for 145 years, if you close Ysgol Clydau you are not closing a building you are closing a heritage; we are not here to fight you, we are here to beg you.”

Cllr Iwan Ward

Local member Cllr Iwan Ward said: “The decision of Pembrokeshire County Council to release this consultation on the closure a few days before Christmas is extremely disappointing, a time of year families should be concentrating on being together, not a time to have to face the threat of losing the heart of our community.”

To applause from the gallery, he added: “It’s not a matter of numbers on a paper, it’s a moral matter; the school is much more than four walls, it’s a safe place for children to grow and a cornerstone of community spirit.

“Closing a school like this rips the heart out of rural life, to threaten a school that isn’t failing is an action I cannot, and am not willing to, take quietly.

“I will stand with the staff, the governors, and the children also.”

Members heard the consultation had been expected to launch back in September but had been delayed due to staffing issues; its 42-day period due to now end in late January.

Members agreed to note the petition ahead of the consultation end, recommendations on the school’s future expected to be decided in March.

The final word went to Sarah Farnden, who said: “We’re not asking for special treatment, we’re asking for fairness and compassion; do not pluck the heart out of the community.”

Education

School leaders deliver Christmas cards to Senedd calling for fair funding

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SCHOOL leaders from across Wales are delivering Christmas cards to the Senedd today in a symbolic call for fair funding for schools.

The cards, one for every Senedd member, are being delivered by school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, urging politicians to give children in Wales what it describes as the “best Christmas gift” – a fully and fairly funded education.

NAHT Cymru national secretary Laura Doel and president Kerina Hanson are gathering outside the Senedd at 1:00pm today before handing the cards in at the Senedd reception.

The action follows the union’s warning last week that while £339m came to the Welsh Government as a result of increased education spending in England for the 2026/27 draft budget, only £39m has so far been allocated to core school budgets in Wales.

Earlier this week, an additional £112.8m was allocated to local government following a budget agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, with some of that funding expected to reach schools.

However, NAHT Cymru says the additional money will fall well short of what is needed. The Welsh Local Government Association has predicted a £137m shortfall in school budgets in Wales for the next financial year, while local authorities are also facing a £200m deficit in social care funding.

The union has also raised concerns that the First Minister has declined to explain how the £339m of additional education funding has been allocated, prompting calls for urgent and transparent scrutiny of the budget.

Speaking ahead of the card delivery, Laura Doel said: “Christmas is a time of giving, and we’re urging the Welsh Government to give schools in Wales the funding they rightfully deserve.

“The money that comes to Wales for education should be spent on education, yet we know much of it has never reached schools. We urgently need clarity on where this money has gone and to see greater investment going directly to pupils.

“The system is at breaking point, and without action we are facing an incredibly bleak new year for schools across Wales.

“We’re calling on every member of the Senedd to act this Christmas and give children in Wales the best possible gift – a fully and fairly funded education.”

The Welsh Government says education remains a priority, pointing to additional funding agreed with Plaid Cymru for local government, some of which is expected to support schools.