adminclaimed yesterday.
And secondary schools are being encouraged to hand out contraception and hold condom demonstrations in class to prove they are sending out “healthy” messages, it says. Campaigners claim the Healthy Schools Programme is being used to impose “permissive” sex education without a national debate.
Launched in 1999, it had its central funding cut this year, but is still being promoted by local authorities. In a survey of all 152 English councils, the Family Education Trust found one in five told primary schools that decided not to teach sex and relationship education they would not be eligible for “Healthy Schools status”.
This is despite the fact that primary schools may decide if they want to teach sex education beyond the requirements of the curriculum. This month, Schools Minister Nick Gibb ruled out implementing Labour’s commitment to compulsory sex education for those as young as five. Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said it was ‘very concerning’ that primary schools were still being leant on to provide it.
“Primary schools that make a principled decision not to teach sex education should not be stigmatised and denied a sought-after award for that reason,” he said.
Almost half of teenagers fail to use contraception with a new partner – almost twice as many as last year, experts claim.
An international survey found many can’t be bothered with contraception or think it is ‘not cool’, while one teenager in six is too drunk to take precautions. A total of 43 per cent of sexually active 15 to 19-year-olds surveyed admitted having had unprotected sex with a new partner, compared with 25 percent in 2010.
The figures from a survey marking World Contraception Day today show teenagers take more care about showering than taking precautions before a date. Asked which took priority, 44 percent ranked personal hygiene over contraception. This is in sharp contrast to the survey’s finding that British youngsters are among the “most well-informed” in Europe about sex and contraception.
“There is nothing inherently “unhealthy” about a primary school that decides not to teach sex education.” To achieve “Healthy Schools status” schools must meet 41 criteria covering personal, social and health education, healthy eating, physical activity and emotional health and well-being. While there is no direct financial incentive, schools that achieve it can use a special logo on their websites promoting their status.
More than 70 percent of schools have the status and most councils are encouraging the remainder to follow suit. Head teachers assess themselves against the criteria – which are on the Department for Education website – but local authorities provide a “quality assurance function”, checking they are on the right track.
The Family Education Trust found ‘considerable levels of inconsistency’ over how the Healthy Schools guidance is interpreted and applied. Northamptonshire county council supported giving pupils as young as 12 the opportunity to practice putting a condom on a demonstrator device in the classroom. But it believed “it would not be appropriate to supply free condoms” to pupils for the lessons.
However, this approach was not followed by all councils. South Tyneside, for example, believed it would be “good practice” to give free condoms to pupils older than 14 for such lessons. – Daily Mail.
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