Why is there all this fuss about sex education? Is it really a problem?
In the UK we clearly have issues that need addressing through sex education. The ones you are most likely to have heard about are high rates of teenage pregnancy, rising rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and problems around coercion and sexual violence among young people. However there are also wider problems you may not be aware of. Young people have complained existing sex education focuses too much on the biological aspect of reproduction and not enough attention has been paid to tackling feelings, emotions and negotiation – and the practicalities of enjoying a relationship.
The needs of lesbian, gay, bi and trans teenagers have not always been adequately met although homophobic bullying is recognised as a problem within schools. Teachers have complained they don’t always feel supported to confidently deliver sex education, particularly once it moves past the biological basics. Parents, generally, are in favour of sex education (despite what you may have read in the media) but worry they don’t know how to adequately deliver this in what they perceive to be a highly sexualised modern culture. And there’s been an ongoing concern that sex education has been delivered in a haphazard manner with different schools offering different approaches. Meaning some young people get excellent sex education, others get patchy advice, and some get nothing at all.
As a result there are problems around what is being taught, the quality of teaching and issues about the underlying messages of sex education which often remain negative and are based on warning youth against pregnancy or infection rather than preparing them to anticipate sex as something pleasurable to enjoy when they are older.
For these reasons it’s been recognised that sex education needs to change and be delivered in a far more effective manner.
What’s actually happened with sex education in the UK? Over the past few years there’s been an ongoing consultation about sex education. This has involved contributions from the public (particularly parents and young people), faith groups, teaching and healthcare organisations and academics involved in researching sex education and youth culture. It has also involved expert input from a core group of professionals involved in researching or delivering sex education within schools.
This has fed into the Children, Schools and Families Bill 2009-2010 which seeks to make sex and relationships education (SRE) a statutory part of the school curriculum. You can see the progress of the bill here and here and view the actual bill here. The parts you should focus on in relation to sex education are sections 11-14 of The Curriculum. In particular point 13 which details the provision of SRE and 14 which outlines exemption from SRE.
This week the bill passed its first reading in the House of Lords where it was agreed that sex education would be compulsory for all schools. Faith schools will have the right to explain their view on key issues (although they’ll still have to teach all aspects of the SRE curriculum), and parents will have the right to withdraw their child from sex education up until the age of 15.
There are additional readings of the bill to follow over the coming months so it is not completely guaranteed these suggestions for SRE will be upheld.
Is sex education now compulsory in schools? At this time all schools in the UK are required to teach SRE within the context of biology (basic reproduction). They are able to opt out of teaching topics they may not agree – homosexuality, abortion, contraception for example. School governors can also restrict what can be covered, who delivers sex education and what they talk about. Many schools do already offer good quality sex education.
I heard Catholic schools will be able to teach abortion, homosexuality and contraception are wrong. Is that correct? There has been some controversy this week where Minister Ed Balls was seen as backtracking when he explained faith based schools would be allowed to teach SRE “in a way that reflects the school’s religious character”. Mr Balls stated “There is no opt-out for any faith school from teaching the full, broad, balanced curriculum on sex and relationship education and that is a huge step forward…Every school will have to teach the full curriculum in a balanced way that respects equality and is not discriminatory, but of course what we are saying is they can explain the views of their faith…Catholic schools can say to their pupils that, as a religion, we believe contraception is wrong, but what they can’t do is therefore say they are not going to teach about contraception.”
Secular groups have been understandably upset by what they feel is a climb down over sex education, while sexual health and LBGT groups have expressed concern this will lead to schools being able to promote homophobia or incorrect messages over abortion or contraception.
It is disappointing this decision was taken, but it is my understanding it was made after considerable pressure was made by faith groups (particularly the Catholic Church) against the proposed bill. There was a fear that this might derail the bill completely. So although this is a compromise it may have been made to ensure that compulsory SRE could still be assured.
Before we panic over this issue, it’s worth noting that whether this compromise had been made or not, there is no guarantee that teachers at faith or non faith schools would deliver SRE effectively – even if it was mandatory. After all ‘compulsory’ is not a byword for ‘good’. There are plenty of teachers delivering compulsory subjects on the curriculum in substandard ways. Even if a school delivers sex education well, a child will also be exposed to negative messages from their peers, parents, or their Church, Mosque or Synagogue.
And let’s not forget the media here. While the press was shouting against Ed Balls it seemed to escape everyone’s attention that by far the biggest voice against SRE in the UK is the press. So even if schools are delivering sex education well, the media are likely to continue in their efforts to scupper it.
My hunch is rather than faith based schools delivering a class on abortion or homosexuality as prescribed, following it up with ‘well that’s bad’, we’re more likely to see these topics covered but in a lacklustre or inaccurate manner. And sadly that may apply in non faith schools too. The challenge will be to identify where poor practice is happening and work to rectify that when the time comes.
Given we live in a multicultural society with different faiths and views about relationships it’s not unreasonable to have this reflected in our teaching of SRE. That is not, however, the same thing as allowing faith groups to decide what can and cannot be taught, nor to undermine basic teaching that is essential to the psychological and physical wellbeing of young people.
If I don’t want my child to have sex education, will I have the right to stop them going to lessons? Once sex education becomes compulsory you will be able to withdraw your child from lessons up until they are aged 15, after that you will not be able to do so. This age seems very late to many educators as many of our most vulnerable youth are sexually active much younger than this age and they need help far earlier. However, currently parents will be able to opt out up until this age.
I hope that parents won’t want to do this. Here’s why. School sex education is an additional source of information for your child. Sometimes hearing someone other than a parent talk about a topic can help a child appreciate an issue. It also means if you and the school are talking about sex and relationships then the likelihood of your child picking up misinformation from peers or the media is reduced. We must remember that for many vulnerable children it is not possible to talk to a parent, or that often very well meaning parents simply do not feel able to talk about sex with confidence. Sadly sometimes parents, with the best intentions, provide misinformation about sex.
Most schools show parents what they will be delivering to young people in SRE before the children see it, giving parents the chance to ask questions and be aware what their child will want to know about. Organisations like the Family Planning Association and Parentline Plus offer additional support and classes to parents, as do many Primary Care Trusts. So the aim should be for schools and parents to work in tandem. If that isn’t happening currently you should speak to your head teacher about it.
Parents I talk to worry that schools will teach too much too soon or be explicit or rude. It’s easy to believe this from the media, but this should not happen in SRE. Young children are not going to be taught about using condoms or sexuality, but they will be told how to name their body parts, how a baby is made and introduced to gender differences and ideas about friendship and respecting others. As they grow information will be added to suit their developmental needs.
So rather than seeing the school as undermining you it’s better to think of them as an ally in raising your child.
Whether parents or teachers talk to young people about sex and relationships, kids are definitely talking to each other about it. So to ensure they’re on the right track we need to be there to answer their questions and explain what positive relationships look like.
If sex education isn’t compulsory yet, will there be any classes covering sex education issues?
Yes. Schools are already covering SRE to varying degrees and this will continue. You may expect to see some schools working to improve what they are already delivering in the run up to SRE becoming compulsory (anticipated in September 2011).
What’s actually going to be taught in sex education?
At this point the SRE curriculum is still being debated. It will definitely include topics like contraception, STIs (including HIV), coercion and abuse, and pregnancy. But it is also expected to cover sexuality, pleasure, delaying sex, confidence, communication and positive relationships. The consultation on the curriculum is open until 19 April 2010 and you are invited to have your say on what may be covered. If you are interested in SRE do please take the time to read and respond.
Why has sex education failed in England?
It’s wrong to say sex education as ‘failed’, or that it is taught badly. The problem we have in the UK is our sex education has never been valued or well funded. There’s never been an effort to deliver it in a compulsory manner and so what has been taught and the standard of teaching has varied widely. Unfortunately because we provide some sex education the media and some faith groups claim this causes teenage pregnancy and STIs. In truth we have problems with teen pregnancy and STIs for numerous complex and often interrelated reasons – poverty, poor education overall, the exclusion of young people, barriers in accessing contraception and healthcare services, lack of family support, aspirational limitations.
There are plenty of dedicated practitioners, teachers, parents and researchers all working to ensure young people learn more about sex and relationships. Young people themselves are not passive in this process and also usually seek out information. Simply providing SRE is not going to tackle wider social issues so we also need to invest in tackling those. However, not providing SRE (or delivering inadequate messages) is not going to help young people manage a commercialised sexual culture which they may not always know how to negotiate.
Often when we hear the sex education has failed mantra it’s a precursor to ‘so we should stop it completely’. The answer to our problems with SRE is not to ban it, but to ensure it is delivered to a high standard to all young people.
My husband thinks if we teach sex education it encourages young people to experiment or take risks, is that true?
This isn’t true, but it’s again something the media and some faith groups claim is a by product of SRE. If you simply tell young people not to have sex, or that they must wait until marriage for sex (but provide no other SRE information) then often young people do have sex – and are less likely to use contraception. If you talk to young people about sex as something to look forward to in the future and provide them with information about contraception, talk about negotiation and safer sex, confidence and delaying until they feel ready, then yes they may have sex but they are more likely to use contraception – and wait until they are older.
Young people do ‘experiment’ – I’m sure we can all remember lustful teenage feelings even if we didn’t act on them. And while we as parents often worry that teenager are all involved in sexual activity it is worth remembering the majority do not have sex until they are over 16 and most do think about contraception and safer sex.
As parents we want our children to grow up to enjoy positive relationships and pleasure. We want them to be confident and able to avoid coercive situations and toxic relationships. We don’t want them to be abusers or victims of domestic violence. We don’t want our children to have sexual problems when they were adults because they were not given enough information about sex or taught it was dirty or shameful. Young people have the right to know about sex and relationships and we have the responsibility to deliver that information in supportive ways.
If we introduce compulsory sex education, what difference will that make – and how soon will we notice it?
It is hoped that sex education, if delivered uniformly and to a high standard, will:
Reduce STI and teenage pregnancy rates
Reduce the number of terminations young people are having, and in the future prevent rising levels of infertility
Increase young people’s uptake of contraception services
Reduce coercion, abuse and exploitation
Tackle homophobic bullying and reassure young people about sexuality
Improve young people’s confidence to talk about sex and negotiate relationships
Highlight the importance of positive relationships
The difficulty with some of these issues is we won’t notice any changes for a long while (for example tackling future infertility). And sometimes if you do introduce more education you see a rise in the uptake of services so it could be likely we see a rise in STI rates for a while.
Even if we do introduce really great SRE across the UK it will take time to bed down and we will need a period of support for teachers and parents. We will be learning throughout this introductory process and undoubtedly there will be some quick wins and stumbling blocks. But SRE is only one part of the puzzle and we will only see benefits if we also tackle other issues around access to reproductive healthcare, reducing poverty and dealing with other inequalities.
What is the biggest barrier you see to SRE provision?
The media. We’ve had endless negative coverage about how dreadful we are at tackling teen pregnancy, STIs and other anti social behaviour among young people. The media has for the most part stood in the way of every initiative to try and improve SRE when they could have supported ventures. Instead we’ve had judgemental pieces most of which end up in girl blaming and hysterical misrepresentations (shag bands, anyone?). Specific editorial decisions are made to be unsupportive and we must not lose sight of this.
Journalists frequently cite the Netherlands as a gold standard of good practice, complaining how we fail in comparison. Never noting the reason the Netherlands do so well is partly cultural, partly about education, but mostly because their media are supportive of SRE.
What’s going to happen next?
The bill is still going through the Lords so there will be more discussions. I will update on those as they happen. In the meantime we can expect to see more efforts in training the trainers activities and support for parents.
Hopefully that’s answered your questions about SRE in the UK, but if you do have any more please let me know.
I’ll be returning to some of the issues raised here in future blogs, particularly around training for sex education teachers and nurses and what parents can do to talk effectively about sex and relationships.
What’s going on with sex education in the UK?
Why is there all this fuss about sex education? Is it really a problem?
In the UK we clearly have issues that need addressing through sex education. The ones you are most likely to have heard about are high rates of teenage pregnancy, rising rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and problems around coercion and sexual violence among young people. However there are also wider problems you may not be aware of. Young people have complained existing sex education focuses too much on the biological aspect of reproduction and not enough attention has been paid to tackling feelings, emotions and negotiation – and the practicalities of enjoying a relationship.
The needs of lesbian, gay, bi and trans teenagers have not always been adequately met although homophobic bullying is recognised as a problem within schools. Teachers have complained they don’t always feel supported to confidently deliver sex education, particularly once it moves past the biological basics. Parents, generally, are in favour of sex education (despite what you may have read in the media) but worry they don’t know how to adequately deliver this in what they perceive to be a highly sexualised modern culture. And there’s been an ongoing concern that sex education has been delivered in a haphazard manner with different schools offering different approaches. Meaning some young people get excellent sex education, others get patchy advice, and some get nothing at all.
As a result there are problems around what is being taught, the quality of teaching and issues about the underlying messages of sex education which often remain negative and are based on warning youth against pregnancy or infection rather than preparing them to anticipate sex as something pleasurable to enjoy when they are older.
For these reasons it’s been recognised that sex education needs to change and be delivered in a far more effective manner.
What’s actually happened with sex education in the UK?
Over the past few years there’s been an ongoing consultation about sex education. This has involved contributions from the public (particularly parents and young people), faith groups, teaching and healthcare organisations and academics involved in researching sex education and youth culture. It has also involved expert input from a core group of professionals involved in researching or delivering sex education within schools.
This has fed into the Children, Schools and Families Bill 2009-2010 which seeks to make sex and relationships education (SRE) a statutory part of the school curriculum. You can see the progress of the bill here and here and view the actual bill here. The parts you should focus on in relation to sex education are sections 11-14 of The Curriculum. In particular point 13 which details the provision of SRE and 14 which outlines exemption from SRE.
This week the bill passed its first reading in the House of Lords where it was agreed that sex education would be compulsory for all schools. Faith schools will have the right to explain their view on key issues (although they’ll still have to teach all aspects of the SRE curriculum), and parents will have the right to withdraw their child from sex education up until the age of 15.
There are additional readings of the bill to follow over the coming months so it is not completely guaranteed these suggestions for SRE will be upheld.
Is sex education now compulsory in schools?
At this time all schools in the UK are required to teach SRE within the context of biology (basic reproduction). They are able to opt out of teaching topics they may not agree – homosexuality, abortion, contraception for example. School governors can also restrict what can be covered, who delivers sex education and what they talk about. Many schools do already offer good quality sex education.
I heard Catholic schools will be able to teach abortion, homosexuality and contraception are wrong. Is that correct?
There has been some controversy this week where Minister Ed Balls was seen as backtracking when he explained faith based schools would be allowed to teach SRE “in a way that reflects the school’s religious character”. Mr Balls stated “There is no opt-out for any faith school from teaching the full, broad, balanced curriculum on sex and relationship education and that is a huge step forward…Every school will have to teach the full curriculum in a balanced way that respects equality and is not discriminatory, but of course what we are saying is they can explain the views of their faith…Catholic schools can say to their pupils that, as a religion, we believe contraception is wrong, but what they can’t do is therefore say they are not going to teach about contraception.”
Secular groups have been understandably upset by what they feel is a climb down over sex education, while sexual health and LBGT groups have expressed concern this will lead to schools being able to promote homophobia or incorrect messages over abortion or contraception.
It is disappointing this decision was taken, but it is my understanding it was made after considerable pressure was made by faith groups (particularly the Catholic Church) against the proposed bill. There was a fear that this might derail the bill completely. So although this is a compromise it may have been made to ensure that compulsory SRE could still be assured.
Before we panic over this issue, it’s worth noting that whether this compromise had been made or not, there is no guarantee that teachers at faith or non faith schools would deliver SRE effectively – even if it was mandatory. After all ‘compulsory’ is not a byword for ‘good’. There are plenty of teachers delivering compulsory subjects on the curriculum in substandard ways. Even if a school delivers sex education well, a child will also be exposed to negative messages from their peers, parents, or their Church, Mosque or Synagogue.
And let’s not forget the media here. While the press was shouting against Ed Balls it seemed to escape everyone’s attention that by far the biggest voice against SRE in the UK is the press. So even if schools are delivering sex education well, the media are likely to continue in their efforts to scupper it.
My hunch is rather than faith based schools delivering a class on abortion or homosexuality as prescribed, following it up with ‘well that’s bad’, we’re more likely to see these topics covered but in a lacklustre or inaccurate manner. And sadly that may apply in non faith schools too. The challenge will be to identify where poor practice is happening and work to rectify that when the time comes.
Given we live in a multicultural society with different faiths and views about relationships it’s not unreasonable to have this reflected in our teaching of SRE. That is not, however, the same thing as allowing faith groups to decide what can and cannot be taught, nor to undermine basic teaching that is essential to the psychological and physical wellbeing of young people.
If I don’t want my child to have sex education, will I have the right to stop them going to lessons?
Once sex education becomes compulsory you will be able to withdraw your child from lessons up until they are aged 15, after that you will not be able to do so. This age seems very late to many educators as many of our most vulnerable youth are sexually active much younger than this age and they need help far earlier. However, currently parents will be able to opt out up until this age.
I hope that parents won’t want to do this. Here’s why. School sex education is an additional source of information for your child. Sometimes hearing someone other than a parent talk about a topic can help a child appreciate an issue. It also means if you and the school are talking about sex and relationships then the likelihood of your child picking up misinformation from peers or the media is reduced. We must remember that for many vulnerable children it is not possible to talk to a parent, or that often very well meaning parents simply do not feel able to talk about sex with confidence. Sadly sometimes parents, with the best intentions, provide misinformation about sex.
Most schools show parents what they will be delivering to young people in SRE before the children see it, giving parents the chance to ask questions and be aware what their child will want to know about. Organisations like the Family Planning Association and Parentline Plus offer additional support and classes to parents, as do many Primary Care Trusts. So the aim should be for schools and parents to work in tandem. If that isn’t happening currently you should speak to your head teacher about it.
Parents I talk to worry that schools will teach too much too soon or be explicit or rude. It’s easy to believe this from the media, but this should not happen in SRE. Young children are not going to be taught about using condoms or sexuality, but they will be told how to name their body parts, how a baby is made and introduced to gender differences and ideas about friendship and respecting others. As they grow information will be added to suit their developmental needs.
So rather than seeing the school as undermining you it’s better to think of them as an ally in raising your child.
Whether parents or teachers talk to young people about sex and relationships, kids are definitely talking to each other about it. So to ensure they’re on the right track we need to be there to answer their questions and explain what positive relationships look like.
If sex education isn’t compulsory yet, will there be any classes covering sex education issues?
Yes. Schools are already covering SRE to varying degrees and this will continue. You may expect to see some schools working to improve what they are already delivering in the run up to SRE becoming compulsory (anticipated in September 2011).
What’s actually going to be taught in sex education?
At this point the SRE curriculum is still being debated. It will definitely include topics like contraception, STIs (including HIV), coercion and abuse, and pregnancy. But it is also expected to cover sexuality, pleasure, delaying sex, confidence, communication and positive relationships. The consultation on the curriculum is open until 19 April 2010 and you are invited to have your say on what may be covered. If you are interested in SRE do please take the time to read and respond.
Why has sex education failed in England?
It’s wrong to say sex education as ‘failed’, or that it is taught badly. The problem we have in the UK is our sex education has never been valued or well funded. There’s never been an effort to deliver it in a compulsory manner and so what has been taught and the standard of teaching has varied widely. Unfortunately because we provide some sex education the media and some faith groups claim this causes teenage pregnancy and STIs. In truth we have problems with teen pregnancy and STIs for numerous complex and often interrelated reasons – poverty, poor education overall, the exclusion of young people, barriers in accessing contraception and healthcare services, lack of family support, aspirational limitations.
There are plenty of dedicated practitioners, teachers, parents and researchers all working to ensure young people learn more about sex and relationships. Young people themselves are not passive in this process and also usually seek out information. Simply providing SRE is not going to tackle wider social issues so we also need to invest in tackling those. However, not providing SRE (or delivering inadequate messages) is not going to help young people manage a commercialised sexual culture which they may not always know how to negotiate.
Often when we hear the sex education has failed mantra it’s a precursor to ‘so we should stop it completely’. The answer to our problems with SRE is not to ban it, but to ensure it is delivered to a high standard to all young people.
My husband thinks if we teach sex education it encourages young people to experiment or take risks, is that true?
This isn’t true, but it’s again something the media and some faith groups claim is a by product of SRE. If you simply tell young people not to have sex, or that they must wait until marriage for sex (but provide no other SRE information) then often young people do have sex – and are less likely to use contraception. If you talk to young people about sex as something to look forward to in the future and provide them with information about contraception, talk about negotiation and safer sex, confidence and delaying until they feel ready, then yes they may have sex but they are more likely to use contraception – and wait until they are older.
Young people do ‘experiment’ – I’m sure we can all remember lustful teenage feelings even if we didn’t act on them. And while we as parents often worry that teenager are all involved in sexual activity it is worth remembering the majority do not have sex until they are over 16 and most do think about contraception and safer sex.
As parents we want our children to grow up to enjoy positive relationships and pleasure. We want them to be confident and able to avoid coercive situations and toxic relationships. We don’t want them to be abusers or victims of domestic violence. We don’t want our children to have sexual problems when they were adults because they were not given enough information about sex or taught it was dirty or shameful. Young people have the right to know about sex and relationships and we have the responsibility to deliver that information in supportive ways.
If we introduce compulsory sex education, what difference will that make – and how soon will we notice it?
It is hoped that sex education, if delivered uniformly and to a high standard, will:
Reduce STI and teenage pregnancy rates
Reduce the number of terminations young people are having, and in the future prevent rising levels of infertility
Increase young people’s uptake of contraception services
Reduce coercion, abuse and exploitation
Tackle homophobic bullying and reassure young people about sexuality
Improve young people’s confidence to talk about sex and negotiate relationships
Highlight the importance of positive relationships
The difficulty with some of these issues is we won’t notice any changes for a long while (for example tackling future infertility). And sometimes if you do introduce more education you see a rise in the uptake of services so it could be likely we see a rise in STI rates for a while.
Even if we do introduce really great SRE across the UK it will take time to bed down and we will need a period of support for teachers and parents. We will be learning throughout this introductory process and undoubtedly there will be some quick wins and stumbling blocks. But SRE is only one part of the puzzle and we will only see benefits if we also tackle other issues around access to reproductive healthcare, reducing poverty and dealing with other inequalities.
What is the biggest barrier you see to SRE provision?
The media. We’ve had endless negative coverage about how dreadful we are at tackling teen pregnancy, STIs and other anti social behaviour among young people. The media has for the most part stood in the way of every initiative to try and improve SRE when they could have supported ventures. Instead we’ve had judgemental pieces most of which end up in girl blaming and hysterical misrepresentations (shag bands, anyone?). Specific editorial decisions are made to be unsupportive and we must not lose sight of this.
Journalists frequently cite the Netherlands as a gold standard of good practice, complaining how we fail in comparison. Never noting the reason the Netherlands do so well is partly cultural, partly about education, but mostly because their media are supportive of SRE.
What’s going to happen next?
The bill is still going through the Lords so there will be more discussions. I will update on those as they happen. In the meantime we can expect to see more efforts in training the trainers activities and support for parents.
Hopefully that’s answered your questions about SRE in the UK, but if you do have any more please let me know.
I’ll be returning to some of the issues raised here in future blogs, particularly around training for sex education teachers and nurses and what parents can do to talk effectively about sex and relationships.
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