Sex and relationships education is to be made compulsory in all schools in England, the government has announced.
All children from the age of four will be taught about safe and
healthy relationships, Education Secretary Justine Greening said.
Children
will also be taught, at an appropriate age, about sex. But parents will
still have the right to withdraw their children from these classes.
Until now, sex education has been compulsory only in council-run schools.
Since
academies and free schools are not under local authority control, they
do not have to follow the national curriculum and have not been obliged
to teach sex and relationships education (SRE).
In
practice, the vast majority do teach the subject - the government's
announcement will mean all schools across the system will be bound by
the same obligation.
Age-appropriate lessons will have particular
emphasis on what constitutes healthy relationships, as well as the
dangers of sexting, online pornography and sexual harassment.
In
primary schools, the focus would be on building healthy relationships
and staying safe, the Department for
Education (DfE) said, while in
secondary school it would focus on sex as well as relationships.
The
government will hold discussions on what should be taught to children,
and at what age, and there will be a public consultation later this
year.
Source...BBC
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