Theorising Relationships and Sex Education (rse) as a Children’s Rights Issue Using A Foucauldian Lens

Abstract This article seeks to analyse the problems with provision of Relationships and Sex Education ( rse ) in English schools using a Foucauldian perspective. Through this analysis, I demonstrate that the rse curriculum is used as a tool for “governing” or controlling children’s exercise of their sexuality to ensure conformity with norms, behaviours and attitudes that adults perceive children should ascribe to. However, adults tend to deny children’s developing agency and their autonomy to make decisions in relation to their sexual lives. This ignores the realities of children’s lives, in which they are exposed to sexual knowledge and information through their interactions with others, or via the internet. Using Foucault’s conceptualisation of bio-power, I argue for shifting some of the power around rse discourses from adults to children themselves, through a children’s rights-based approach. This approach to rse will ensure that the curriculum is adequate, appropriate and effective for children.