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All children will be forced to take sex and drugs education at school under reforms announced today.
Personal, social and health education will be a new subject on the national curriculum from the age of five.
At present, parents can withdraw children from classes on sex and relationships on moral grounds until the age of 16. That is being reduced to 15, meaning every pupil will receive at least one year of sex education before they are legally allowed to leave compulsory education.
The move could cause problems for Catholic schools, which may be required to teach about homosexuality and contraception. Ministers have suggested faith schools will receive further guidance on how to comply with the rules.
Under the plans, children as young as five will learn about body parts and differences between boys and girls. In secondary school, pupils will study sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, marriage and civil partnerships.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls was setting out the plans in a statement to MPs today. The move follows a review by Sir Alasdair MacDonald, head of Morpeth School in Tower Hamlets.
A government consultation found four out of five parents and adults thought all children should receive sex and relationships education. But the same proportion also thought parents should retain the right to keep their children out of sex education classes up to the age of 16.
A government source said that only a “very small minority” of parents chose to take their children out of sex education classes, and the right to withdraw was being retained until pupils reach the age of 15.
The source said 15 was “the age around which it seems most consensus can be reached”.
The classes will teach children in primary schools about “some of the dangers” of drugs, which could include discussions of cocaine and heroin. The risks of alcohol and drug abuse will be covered in more detail once pupils reach secondary school.
Children of all ages will learn about finance, money and debt as well as other issues relating to health and wellbeing.
Margaret Morrissey, from campaign group Parents Outloud, condemned ministers for “infringing parents' rights”. She said the Government should leave families to bring up their children.
Reader views (25)
for the sake of everyone left in the country, vote these lunatics out.
- Matt, Ruthin
1984...
- Paul B, London
As society began to decay, the push for sex ed increased - and thus teen sex increased with the newfound knowledge of "what to do" So the more sex and drug education, the more users of sex and drug as more learn "what to do" Society continues to decay, but at least the kids will know "what to do"
- Trunk, US
This headline is misleading. If you read the article it does not say 5 year olds will be taught about sex and drugs. They will merely be told about the differences between girls and boys bodies. Any parents will know that children have a curiosity about this much earlier than aged 5. No child is being robbed of their innocence, but merely being told certain facts appropriate to their age.
I knew about the facts of life when I was 7 and it didn't have me rushing out to experiment to see if it was true!
- Smb, London, UK
Yet another ridiculous and farcical attempt to try and solve the problems that this country has with its youth.
Children under the age of 9-10 generally do not make 'informed decisions' in the same way an adult or young teenager can. They simply don't have the capability or the experience to understand social implications of decisions. They are more concerned with what sweets and toys they will get. Which is all they should be concerned about at that age!
The best we can do as adults is to let them know how terribly wrong drugs are and that some adult things (sex!) are not meant for children. This will allow them to slowly understand these things in time as part of their own development. Sex education at 14-15 can then cement their understanding. Of course, the media should be more accountable considering the type of sexually explicit trash they aim at children and young teens nowadays.
Children don't need a detailed explanation of these things, simple "right or wrong" guidance and an appropriate short punishment, will put them on the right track.
The UK's teenage social problems stems from breakdown of the family and/or community intergration, as well as from a social welfare system that robs people of hopes and aspirations to improve themselves.
- Jim T, London
Is this the best this sleazy government can come up with. It is up to parents to explain the "facts of life", not the state.
Why are schools grooming kids this way? No doubt it has some other agenda attached to it.
- Darren, london
Children should be allowed to have their childhood and innocence. By telling them about these things, they'll probably be encouraged to find out more themselves. I think we should focus on teaching them how to read and write considering majority of our youth are now illiterate.
- Jk, Kent
it gets worse
- Rsaviour, london
Another day in nutjob Britain.
- Jules_London, london
Is it really necessary at the age of 5? Why can't they be allowed to be children???
- Paul, Chatham, UK
I think Ed Balls needs to get his priorities right. School are there to teach children in English, maths, science etc, and it is obvious that some schools are struggling to even manage this.
As a parent I will teach my children the dangers of drugs and that certainly won't be till they are at least 13 years of age.
To put it bluntly, the schools need to do their jobs and I will do mine.
- Dc, London
The problems of teenage pregnancies coincided with the beginning of sex education in schools.
Why on earth would we want to burden young minds with this stuff.
- George, Cambridge UK
Yet another half-baked idea from our glorious leaders.
Perhaps we should stop messing with the so-called national curriculum long enough for teachers to get back to actually teaching.
Perhaps also the "social engineers" (oxymoron I know) who came up with this and similar absurdities should actually get out of their goverment funded ivory towers and go and do some useful work.
- Tobin, Andover
With the rise in homophobic attacks it is clear that eduction is required and this is a step in the right direction.
- John David, London
OK so neither my parents nor my school gave me any sex education. What was the STDs and pregnancy rate in the 60s of teenage girls? Now we're in the 2000s where all kids seem to know everything there is to know already about sex. How many teenage pregnancies have we now? I rest my case.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
Over my dead body. I'd rather my kid learnt how to tie his shoelaces and brush his teeth. And we wonder why this sick, malignant Labour government is so obsessed with paedophiles??? They really are all a sick bunch of ********! Let our kids be kids!
- Chris, SE England
A "Youth", Am, in my opinion is someone about 10 or 11,possibly older but not 5. This programme depends for success entirely on what it is that the children will be told and how.
So far the sex education of kids in schools has not been particularly successful, has it.
My concern is that this is yet another government scheme that will cause more mischief than correct the burgeoning number of abortions and teenage pregnancies.
- Crash Murphy, Broxbourne
Where is the explanation to this classic idea? Is nobody answerable anymore?
- Max, Wimbldon, London
Previous generations like myself had no sex or drug education and there was no great problems with teenage pregnancies and drug misuse. Far better to teach kids how to read, write and do arithmetic so at least they leave school with some ability.
- Robert Thornton, Malaga, Spain
I think this a good idea as children are naturally curious and it is better they know the facts rather than things heard through the playground grapevine.
- Smb, London, UK
how on earth can any parent deny their child information on sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy etc. Does than not constitute a failure of a parents obligation to to educate their child. What are they going to say, God makes babies!
- Mike, London
Finally we are treating five year olds like adults. How dare they enjoy their childhoods and innocence as long as they can. Why don't they get a job while they are it, don't they know our country is trillions in debt thanks to Labour? Bloody primary students.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Hope drugs education will be evidence based..... one Prof Nutt would make an excellent advisor here.
As for debt, it's a great shame that classes in debt weren't about when one Gordon Brown was still in short trousers and capable of absorbing reality.
- David, London
Why?
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, Hants
finally were going to stop treating the youth like idiots and get surprised when they grow up and don't know any better.
- Am, london
