Daily Mail 23rd October 2008
Sex education: Britain has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the developed world
School Secretary Ed Balls will outline plans to reform drugs education
Children as young as five will be taught about sex, drugs and alcohol in compulsory lifestyle lessons, ministers announced today.
Pupils need schools to help them cope with the dangers of modern life such as binge drinking and substance abuse, according to the Government.
But the quality of personal, social and health education is "patchy", as many teachers are embarrassed to discuss topics such as sexuality in class.
Ministers said putting social education on the national curriculum for five- to 16-year-olds would help cut teen pregnancy rates and binge drinking.
However, headteachers warned that making the subject compulsory was the wrong approach. The move will also anger some family campaigners who believe young children should not be exposed to sex education.
Britain has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the developed world. Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise among younger people, while binge drinking has been increasingly common for teenagers.
Schools Minister Jim Knight said making social and health education compulsory was "a bold move and a necessary one".
He added: "Modern life is increasingly complex and we have a duty to equip our young people with the knowledge and skills to deal with it.
"We need structured classroom teaching ... Parents bring up children, not schools or governments, but schools can help guide them through the maze of issues and prepare them for the transition from child to adult."
Mr Knight said the system would be flexible enough to allow schools to take parents' values and beliefs into account.
More than 10,000 schoolchildren between the ages of seven and 18 have been offered screening for a sexually transmitted disease in a major health blunder, it emerged today.
Each personally addressed letter from Harrow Primary Care Trust contained the words: "You may have heard of chlamydia ... One in 10 sexually active young people are infected."
The letter infuriated parents who feared it might have forced them into discussions which they were not ready to have.
A spokesman for the trust said: "The intention was to send these letters to all young people aged 18 to 24 years. Due to an administrative error, a large number were sent to children and young people of a younger age."
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