by THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE
July 2009
Contents
- “Disastrous” teen pregnancy strategy, says professor
- Current sex education laws
- What is your child learning?
- Girls growing up too quickly
- Promoting marriage in school
- Kids to chat about anal and oral sex
- Condom credit cards for 13s
More of the same planned despite ‘safer sex’ failure
The Government is set to fall woefully short of its target of halving the number of teenage pregnancies by 2010.[1]
Sexually Transmitted Infections have increased amongst the young. So have teenage abortions.
A number of children’s groups have raised serious concerns about the increasing sexualisation of young girls.
Against this backdrop the Government has announced it intends to make Sex and Relationship Education compulsory in schools, starting at primary level.
Parents’ right to remove their children from lessons is likely to remain, but the Government says it will keep the opt-out under constant review.
The groups that have been pushing for mandatory sex education have demonstrated questionable judgment in the resources which they have been recommending to children (see back page).
The Government plans to introduce compulsory Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) in England in September 2011, within the new National Curriculum subject Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education.[2]
Under the proposals, parents will retain the right to withdraw their children from SRE lessons, but the Government will keep the opt-out under review. Parents who withdraw their child will be expected to provide them with alternative sex education.[3]
The plans require primary schools to teach about body parts and puberty, “sex within the context of caring and stable relationships”, civil partnerships, marriage and separation.[4]
Topics for secondary schools include unintended pregnancy, contraception and STIs, as well as the “role and benefits” of civil partnerships. Marriage, family life and parenting also feature.[5]
School governors may still determine their school’s approach to SRE, taking account of parents’ views and the school’s ethos, but must ensure the specified topics are covered.[6]
The Government has also pledged that all initial teacher training courses will involve some focus on PSHE.[7]
Current sex education laws:
Education Act 1996
Sex education is currently not compulsory in primary schools. However, every primary and secondary school must have a sex education policy, prepared by the governors of the school in consultation with parents. Copies must be made available free of charge to any parent who requests one. The law requires secondary schools to teach the biological facts about sex within the science curriculum and to provide sex education which covers sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. This sex education must encourage pupils to “have due regard to moral considerations and the value of family life”. Parents may request that their children be excused from receiving sex education at school, and the school must fulfil all such requests.
Learning and Skills Act 2000 and SRE Guidance
In July 2000 the Government issued guidance on Sex and Relationship Education (SRE), to which a school’s head teacher and governors must have regard when establishing the school’s sex education policy. This guidance says SRE must teach children “about the nature of marriage and its importance for family life and for bringing up children”. It also says: “Schools should ensure that pupils are protected from teaching and materials which are inappropriate, having regard to the age and cultural background of the pupils concerned”. Further recommendations in the guidance are “good practice”, but not mandatory.
Under 16s
England and Wales (2007)
8,196 conceptions[8]
4,376 abortions[9]
Teen pregnancy strategy is “disastrous” says professor
The Government’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy has been labelled as “absolutely disastrous” by Professor David Paton of Nottingham University.
He points to figures showing that since the strategy began teenage STI rates have increased, and the rate of decline in pregnancy rates has slowed.[10]
Professor Paton has criticised the mixed messages conveyed to children when they are advised to delay sex yet provided with contraception.
He says, “The danger with this sort of approach is that it can lead to an increase in risky sexual behaviour amongst some young people.
“There is now overwhelming evidence that such schemes are simply not effective in cutting teenage pregnancy rates.”[11]
What is your child learning?
Parents have a right to know what resources their child’s school is using in Sex and Relationship Education (SRE), and to object if they are not entirely happy.
Sadly, few parents are aware of the kind of materials schools are encouraged to use in SRE lessons. Many resources recommended by local health or education authorities feature explicit content and affirm all forms of sexual behaviour as morally equal.
A Christian Institute investigation published in 2003 found numerous examples of inappropriate classroom resources including:
- A lesson covering anal intercourse for primary schools;
- Teacher-led discussions on sado-masochism, bondage and sex toys;
- A video advising pupils to “try experimenting with other boys and girls and see who you feel most comfortable with”.[12]
Parents should ask to see and review the resources being used, not just rely on assurances from the school.
If parents feel their school’s SRE policy is unsuitable they still have the right to withdraw their child from sex education lessons.
Young girls forced to grow up too quickly
Girls are being “trained to become sexual objects” by the widespread use of sexual imagery in society, the NSPCC warned last year.[13]
A consumer watchdog raised similar concerns earlier this year that ‘sex kitten’ t-shirts for six-yearolds and Playboy pencil cases were helping “make sex and pornography normal” to youngsters.[14]
Campaigners blame teen magazines for encouraging early sexual activity[15], while a disturbing new trend has seen teenage girls producing sexually explicit images and distributing them by mobile phone.
“Girls will do things on webcams to entertain boys,” said one 15-year-old during a recent study.[16]
A report from Girl-guiding UK and the Mental Health Foundation found last year that young girls are suffering from the pressure to have premature sex and wear clothes that are too old for them.
“We are forcing our young people to grow up too quickly,” said the Foundation’s Dr Andrew McCulloch.[17]
Promoting marriage in school
Sex education should teach about the importance of marriage. The public and legal commitment of one man to one woman provides a stable, safe and enduring environment for sexual intimacy and the raising of children.
Multiple sexual partners or sex without commitment is not only medically more risky but often leads to emotional heartbreak and a range of negative outcomes for any children raised outside a married family unit.
A weight of socio-economic research shows that marriage is the leading environment for raising children even when other factors such as class, finance and education have been accounted for.
The Government’s current information leaflet for parents says SRE is about “the importance of marriage for family life”.[18]
Yet sex education material is often ambivalent on the issue. It is crucial that the overhaul of the curriculum does not diminish the benefits of marriage or fail to tell pupils of the damage that can be done when marriage is undermined.
Kids, 7, to chat about anal and oral sex
The Government wants to make SRE mandatory for primary schools. Resources for primary schools have been available for some time. This one, The Primary School Sex and Relationships Education Pack, is currently recommended by East Sussex Council.[19]
One lesson on “sexual language” is aimed at children aged seven and older. They are given definitions of sexual acts and are asked to match them to the right name.[20]
Abortion video
The FPA, a key player in the sex education lobby, promoted a video to 14-year-olds saying health risks associated with abortion are mere “myths”.[21]
It did so in spite of the Royal College of Psychiatrists warning that “ onsent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information regarding the possible risks and benefits to physical and mental health.”[22]
Condom credit cards
A new Government strategy will see boys of 13 issued with “credit cards” allowing them to pick up free condoms at places they congregate, such as football grounds and scout huts.
Even younger boys could be given the cards at local councils’ discretion.
The scheme is commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Boys will have to attend a lesson on “safe sex” before receiving the card.
If they attend extra classes they will receive stamps on the card, which organisers hope will become a status symbol.
The card scheme is designed to spare boys the embarrassment of visiting a sexual health clinic or asking for condoms in a pharmacy. Those taking part will not have to give their names or answer any personal questions.
The scheme has already been adopted in some places but will soon go nationwide.
Simon Blake, Chief Executive of Brook, the sexual health advisory service which drew up the plan, said it would make condom use “an everyday reality”.[23]
References
- About the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, DCSF, see http://www. dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/ healthandwellbeing/ teenagepregnancy/about/strategy/ as at 1 July 2009
- DCSF Press Release, Macdonald: Personal Social Health and Economic Education should be Compulsory, 2009/0078, 28 April 2009
- House of Commons, Hansard, 27 April 2009, cols 32-34WS
- Understanding Physical Development, Health and Wellbeing – Draft for Consultation, QCA, April 2009, pages 3 and 6
- The National Curriculum 2007, QCA, 2007, pages 248-249 and 258-259
- House of Commons, Op cit, cols 33-34WS
- Loc cit
- ONS, Press Release, Conception Rate Increases among Under 18s, 26 February 2009
- Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2007, Department of Health, June 2008, Table 4a
- Children and Young People Now, 18 March 2009, see http://www.cypnow.co.uk/ news/ByDiscipline/Health/891517/ Teenage-pregnancy-strategy-disastersays-academic/ as at 2 July 2009
- The Daily Telegraph, 3 January 2008
- Sex lessons for kids, The Christian Institute, 2003, page 3
- The Scotsman, 3 December 2008
- Daily Mail, 10 February 2009
- The Sunday Telegraph, 15 March 2009
- Press Association National Newswire, 30 March 2009
- A Generation Under Stress, Girlguiding UK, July 2008, pages 2 and 6
- SRE & Parents, DfES, 2001
- See http://www.healthyschools.gov.uk/Uploads/ Resources/06bcf8e5-cea9-4679-b264-a2d4048253d3/ Primary%20school%20resources%20PSHE%20 June%2008.doc as at 7 July 2009
- Cohen, J, The Primary School Sex and Relationships Education Pack, Healthwise, 2001, pages 73, 101-103
- The Daily Telegraph, 26 November 2008
- The Royal College of Psychiatrists, Press Release, 14 March 2008
- The Sunday Times, 7 June 2009, see http://www.timesonline. co.uk/tol/news/politics/ article6446355.ece as at 29 June 2009
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