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Sex education is an important part of growing up, but an increasing number of parents are opting to pull their children out of school-based programs…

Parents in the UK could lose the right to remove their children from school-based sex education classes as part of changes to both the primary and secondary school curriculum. Currently, sex education is compulsory in all British secondary schools, but the new curriculum will see that this education begins in the later stages of primary school.

A Modern Update

UK education minister Kirsty Williams says that the decision is complex and comes down to what is best for children. “We don’t give parents the right to withdraw from specific parts of the curriculum…so it’s about checking in to see if these rights are still appropriate as we move forward,” she told TV program Wales Live. “We will do this sensitively…and we’re not charging ahead in a gung-ho fashion because we realise these are complex but highly important issues.” Under the new changes, primary and secondary schools would both be required to teach sex and relationships education ensuring “diversity and difference across a range of identities related to relationships, sex, gender and sexuality.” A number of religious groups have expressed concern about abolishing the right of parents to remove their child from such classes, though the church in Wales has said that there is a need to move with the times and improve tolerance.

Knowledge Is Power

In Australia, sex education is usually taught from Year 5 onwards, with a largely biological focus, but there are calls to integrate a discussion of the emotional, cultural and psychological issues that accompany these changes. Netflix’s recent series, Sex Education, follows a fictional group of British teenagers as they struggle to navigate the challenges of being a teenager without the guidance of these school-based education programs. The constant heartbreak, chaos and pregnancy scare that they experience are enough to highlight the potential consequences of a lack of accurate information…

While every child develops at a different rate, physically and emotionally, school-based sex education programs ensure those in upper primary and secondary school have access to information and support that is age appropriate. That being said, parents remain the best judges of what is right for their child, so it’s important to have a positive relationship with your their teacher so you can communicate any concerns.

Do you think all children should receive sex education in school? Let us know in the comments.

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  • why not? It cannot do them any harm, can it?!

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  • I would have thought modern mothers were more up to date than mine was and would be giving these talks at home – I certainly did as I didn’t want my daughters being afraid of what might happen.
    And we talked about all aspects of growing up around the tea table – my boys heard about menstruation and my girls heard about wet dreams. And every other aspect they were worried about was openly discussed too.

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  • I remember something similar when my youngest sister had her period. She was in the toilet and screamed. I had to go and reassure her. My mother hadn’t told her anything. To me neither!

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  • Important lessons, I remember ours at school

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  • Definitely. My mum had no idea what was happening when she got her period at school. She thought she was dying !

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  • Absolutely. I know a lot of kids don’t like those talks. My daughter always came home bored because they always say the same things. But this way we are sure kids are prepared and know their body better.

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  • Yes they should. How could it ever be a bad thing to learn about how your body functions? Parents need to stop feeling squeamish and associating sex with shame. It’s why many kids won’t ask these kinds of questions of their parents and why they hide their exploration of their sexuality. The more educated they are, the more informed they are to make a choice about their own bodies. I’m open with my daughter about these topics because I don’t want her to make uneducated guesses or have the wrong information from kids her own age.

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  • I think that children need to know all the appropriate facts, and be able to ask questions if need be. But I do think it needs to be started at home with parents, so communication is the key.

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  • I think it would work better if parents were able to attend a session on how to have the talk with their child. I know when that time comes for me to talk to my daughter I have no idea how to go about it.


    • One way to make that talk easier is by answering all questions your kids have in regards to sex/making love, how children are made and the human body from a young age in a way they understand.

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  • It’s important for children to have some sort of sex education to ensure it is being talked about even if they don’t feel comfortable talking about it to their parents.

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  • I think this should be the case. Accurate information in a classroom setting is a good idea. We did it this way when I was growing up

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  • It’s always better for kids to get the correct and accurate information rather than second hand or poor info from their peers.

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  • It could be too embarrassing for a lot of kids/parents to discuss. In a school environment, the information would be accurate without any euphemisms that could cause confusion.

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  • Yes, every child needs to know the basics for life and this is part of that.

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  • It’s always been compulsory so I wouldn’t know anything different

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