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Teachers' perceptions and experiences of delivering LGBTQ+ inclusive Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England.

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Title: Teachers' perceptions and experiences of delivering LGBTQ+ inclusive Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England.
Authors: Fox, Claire L.1 (AUTHOR) claire.fox@bristol.ac.uk, Riley, Melanie2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Sex Education. May2026, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p293-308. 16p.
Subject Terms: *Parents, *Psychology of teachers, *Sex education, *Confidence, *Cultural values, *College teacher attitudes, *Curriculum planning, *Research methodology, *Health education, *Interpersonal relations, Gender identity, LGBTQ+ people, Leadership, Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U Test, Chi-squared test, Thematic analysis, Inferential statistics, Social support
Geographic Terms: England
Abstract: Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) guidance for schools in England outlines the 'compulsory' teaching of LGBTQ+ identities. This study aimed to investigate teachers' perceptions and experiences of delivering the curriculum. In total, 72 teachers in England responded to an online survey. Responses to the closed survey questions indicated variability in terms of having access to adequate resources and training, feeling confident, and having adequate support from their school and parents. Two main categories with sub-categories were identified from the open-ended responses that reflect the challenges of delivery and suggestions for improvement. A key issue identified was how to teach children about gender identity, with concerns about 'gender ideology' being expressed by some teachers. Teacher confidence was reported to be low, with problems in some schools of a lack of leadership and parental support, as well as an unhelpful school culture, particularly in faith schools. To conclude, although there are schools where LGBTQ+ inclusive RSE appears to be working well, teachers lack confidence and the necessary resources. When combined with a lack of support from school leaders, parents, and policy makers, this makes it challenging for teachers to advance an LGBTQ+ inclusive agenda as part of RSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Sex Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Teachers' perceptions and experiences of delivering LGBTQ+ inclusive Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fox%2C+Claire+L%2E%22">Fox, Claire L.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> claire.fox@bristol.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Riley%2C+Melanie%22">Riley, Melanie</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Sex+Education%22">Sex Education</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p293-308. 16p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parents%22">Parents</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+teachers%22">Psychology of teachers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex+education%22">Sex education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Confidence%22">Confidence</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+values%22">Cultural values</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+teacher+attitudes%22">College teacher attitudes</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+planning%22">Curriculum planning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+methodology%22">Research methodology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Health+education%22">Health education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+relations%22">Interpersonal relations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+identity%22">Gender identity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22LGBTQ%2B+people%22">LGBTQ+ people</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Leadership%22">Leadership</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mann+Whitney+U+Test%22">Mann Whitney U Test</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chi-squared+test%22">Chi-squared test</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thematic+analysis%22">Thematic analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Inferential+statistics%22">Inferential statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+support%22">Social support</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22England%22">England</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) guidance for schools in England outlines the 'compulsory' teaching of LGBTQ+ identities. This study aimed to investigate teachers' perceptions and experiences of delivering the curriculum. In total, 72 teachers in England responded to an online survey. Responses to the closed survey questions indicated variability in terms of having access to adequate resources and training, feeling confident, and having adequate support from their school and parents. Two main categories with sub-categories were identified from the open-ended responses that reflect the challenges of delivery and suggestions for improvement. A key issue identified was how to teach children about gender identity, with concerns about 'gender ideology' being expressed by some teachers. Teacher confidence was reported to be low, with problems in some schools of a lack of leadership and parental support, as well as an unhelpful school culture, particularly in faith schools. To conclude, although there are schools where LGBTQ+ inclusive RSE appears to be working well, teachers lack confidence and the necessary resources. When combined with a lack of support from school leaders, parents, and policy makers, this makes it challenging for teachers to advance an LGBTQ+ inclusive agenda as part of RSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Sex Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=192954231
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/14681811.2025.2466155
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 293
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Parents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology of teachers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Confidence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cultural values
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College teacher attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Curriculum planning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research methodology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Health education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal relations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gender identity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: LGBTQ+ people
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Leadership
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mann Whitney U Test
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chi-squared test
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Thematic analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Inferential statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social support
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: England
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Teachers' perceptions and experiences of delivering LGBTQ+ inclusive Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England.
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          Name:
            NameFull: Fox, Claire L.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Riley, Melanie
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
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              Value: 14681811
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              Value: 26
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            – TitleFull: Sex Education
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