Christian Concern for our Nation and the Christian Legal Centre have come out in opposition to a proposed amendment to the Academies Bill that could see academies forced to teach sex education lessons to children and teenagers.

The amendment put forward by Baroness Massey of Darwen and Baroness Flather seeks to make Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) a compulsory component of the curriculum in academies. The Bill is at the report stage and is due for a third reading on July 13.

If the amendment is passed, it will require academies to provide sex education lessons to students, including lessons on same-sex relationships, divorce and abortion.

CCFON and CLC said: “Christian organisations campaigned to prevent PSHE becoming a statutory requirement in the Children Schools and Families Act 2010 and it would be a major setback if it came in by the backdoor through the Academies Bill. Please pray that this will be unsuccessful.”

Lord Hill, Schools Minister in the House of Lords, has promised that academies established under the Bill would be required to provide religious education and collective worship as part of their funding agreement.

CCFON and CLC is concerned that the funding agreement may leave out certain statutory details, including the obligation to hold collective worship, the right of religious schools to teach RE lessons according to their ethos, and the right of parents to withdraw their children from sex education lessons.

They added: “Please pray that the Bill would include all the necessary detail for the ethos of faith schools to be protected.”