Sex test for every child at the age of five

By Steve Doughty Social Affairs Correspondent

Last updated at 14:46 11 February 2006


Children as young as five should be tested on their knowledge of sex education, Government advisers said yesterday. An official report says that sexual education should be compulsory for all children in primary as well as secondary schools.

But it also claims that sex education in schools is badly taught, and pupils should be tested "from the beginning" to gauge what attitudes and facts they have learned.

What do you think about the new recommendations? Should the innocence of young children be shattered at the age of five, or is this simply a preposterous suggestion? Add your opinion using the reader comments form at the end of this article.

The advice to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt and Education Secretary Ruth Kelly may herald a revolution in the way schools deal with sex education.

At present, parents can withdraw their children from sex lessons in secondary schools. And primary schools can choose whether to offer the subjects at all.

But the sexual health and teenage pregnancy advisory groups behind the report want the lessons to be a "statutory foundation subject" in the National Curriculum.

The Time for Action report, which has been quietly published by ministers, says the youngest primary school children should be taught about "relationships and friendships".

By age ten, pupils should know about menstruation, physical changes in puberty, and correct names for reproductive organs. Detailed discussion of sex would be compulsory for children of 11 and over.

The advisers are led by Labour peer and former party official Baroness Gould and include a number of figures from children's rights and sex advice organisations.

They say evidence shows that sex education cuts teen pregnancy, delays first sex and improves sexual health.

But critics say the Government's teen pregnancy strategy - based on education and handing out contraceptives -has failed. Rates of sexually transmitted infections among teens remain high.

'Dogmatic' approach

Robert Whelan, of the Civitas civic values think tank, said the report was 'dogmatic'. "There is no serious research anywhere in the world that shows the sort of sex education being called for by this report has any effect whatsoever in reducing teenage pregnancy or STIs.

"There is evidence to show that abstinence education in the U.S. may have some effect, but the Government has refused to consider that idea. By going down this road they will make sure that teenage pregnancies and STIS will continue to rise."

The report said each school should have a designated manager for sex education, that teacher training should always include sex education training, and that local councils should be made to press schools into developing better lessons.

It said that assessment of pupils' learning should be based on models developed by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority. Last month, the authority said sex lessons should be assessed through written tests on factual aspects of courses.

Pupils might also be asked to give presentations, keep a work logbook and complete 'self-assessment' sheets. Ministers are not compelled to follow the advice of the panels, the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and the Teenage Pregnancy Group.

But their joint report is designed to pile pressure on ministers who have refused to give way to the demands of sex education and abortion lobbies. Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt in particular is thought likely to be sympathetic to the advisory groups' arguments.

Gill Frances of the National Children's Bureau, who leads the teenage pregnancy panel, said the lessons would also increase youngsters' confidence in dealing with the opposite sex.

"Young people are growing up in an increasingly sexualised society, where there are mixed messages," she said.

What do you think about the new recommendations? Should the innocence of young children be shattered at the age of five, or is this simply a preposterous suggestion? Add your opinion using the reader comments form below.

Most watched News videos