Members of the Welsh Parliament / Senedd Cymru will vote on whether to remove parental right of withdrawal from new Relationship and Sexuality lessons on Tuesday 15 December.

The Cirriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill will also replace Religious Education with a new subject called Religion, Values and Ethics.

In both new subjects, Welsh parents are set to lose the right to withdraw their children, a right that previously existed both both subjects.

The new RSE lessons will be mandatory for 3-16 year olds.

The decision to remove the parental right of withdrawal comes despite overwhelming opposition to the plans expressed in two consultations prior to the Bill being introduced.

In one consultation, ‘Our National Mission: A Transformational Curriculum’, 88.7% of respondents agreed that the right to withdraw from RE and RSE should be retained.

CARE believes that parents’ right to withdraw children from relationships and sexuality education must be retained. Parents are the primary educators of their children on these matters and it is up to them to decide how and when their children are taught these subjects.

We are concerned that this proposal would create and exacerbate distrust between schools and parents. Taking away the right to withdraw and undermining an important aspect of parental responsibility has the serious potential to increase tensions or even create them where none existed before.

Ask your Senedd Members to vote against the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill passing its Stage 1 on 15 December. Use our campaign page to get in contact and ask your Senedd Members to protect the parental right of withdrawal.