96% of primary schools pay attention to relational and sex education

New research commissioned by Rutgers offers insight into primary school choices and challenges

The vast majority of primary schools in the Netherlands pay attention to relational and sexual education (RSV). This is according to research commissioned by Rutgers and carried out by DUO-Onderwijs. A positive sign: schools are taking their role in children's broad development seriously. At the same time, the research shows that this commitment can be under pressure, for instance due to parental resistance or a lack of concrete tools for teachers.

Rutgers, the national expertise centre for sexual health, wanted insight into how schools pay attention to RSV: how they organise it, what choices they make in teaching materials, and what they need to properly guide children in their development. The subject is included in the core objectives of education, but societal debates and divergent visions cause big differences in the elaboration of the core objectives in school practice.

Rutgers asked DUO-Onderwijs to re-map the state of play in primary schools, as it did in 2022. The results give policymakers, school boards and education providers valuable insights into how RSV is being shaped in primary schools.

Some notable findings from the survey:

• 96% from schools devotes attention to RSV. In 2022, this was still 92%.
• 62% of schools use a teaching method, such as ‘Jitters in your Belly’ or ‘Wonderfully Made’.
• 80% of the schools involve parents in RSV by informing them through a newsletter, school newspaper, email or app.
• 46% of school leaders experience resistance from parents, especially on topics such as sexual diversity or gender equality.

Although engagement is high, more than half of school leaders appear to encounter resistance. This often involves parents - usually a small group of one to five per school - asking questions or wanting to cancel their child for specific lessons. This resistance stems from cultural, religious or social objections. Sometimes the resistance is also fuelled by media coverage or misunderstandings about the lesson content.

Schools often consciously choose to involve parents. Four in five schools inform parents through newsletters, the school guide or parents' evenings. Yet information on RSV is far from always included in the school plan - a focus for policy.

Satisfaction with the offer is high: about three quarters (73%) of school leaders are (very) satisfied with the content of the lessons. Interestingly, 70% of the schools indicate that teachers are not trained in teaching these lessons. Professionalisation thus remains an important area of focus.

The study shows that relational and sex education is firmly established in many schools. At the same time, it appears that the quality and continuity of lessons often depend on the possibilities within the school and support within a team. A more structural embedding in the curriculum, supported by training and parent communication, can help schools provide consistent and inclusive education on this important topic.