The safety of children and young people is being put at risk by patchy and low-quality sex and relationships education (SRE) in English schools, a major new report published by the Sex Education Forum (SEF) has found. Entitled Heads or tails? What young people are telling us about SRE, the report details the findings of a survey of over 2,000 11-25 year-olds, asking them about the extent and quality of their learning on a range of topics related to SRE. Alarmingly, the survey reveals that a significant proportion of pupils are being denied information that could protect them from harm on issues such as sexual abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM), and sexual consent. The British Humanist Association (BHA), whose Campaigns Manager is part of SEF’s advisory group and which actively campaigns for the introduction of comprehensive, age-appropriate SRE in schools, has expressed its concern at the findings and once again called on the UK Government to make full and comprehensive SRE compulsory in English schools.
Despite widespread recognition of the importance of providing children with basic knowledge about their body from an early age, 16% of those surveyed did not know the correct names for genitalia, and even more were not even aware which body parts were ‘private’. Perhaps more worryingly, 50% of respondents had not been told by their primary school what to do or where to get help if they experienced unwanted touching, and over half had not learnt to identify signs of sexual grooming or exploitation. The survey also found that teaching about sexual consent was extremely limited, with over a third of children having been taught nothing at all, and half never having discussed real-life scenarios about consent.
In a finding that should encourage policy-makers to do more to support schools in providing good-quality SRE, the report also states that more than one in five children were dissatisfied with the SRE they received, suggesting there is a strong appetite among young people for improvements to be made.
The campaign to make SRE compulsory in schools has gained pace in recent months, and just a few weeks ago the chairs of four cross-party parliamentary committees wrote to the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, to demand a response to the numerous calls for the subject to be given statutory status. The letter highlighted the growing consensus on the issue among parliamentarians, health professionals, children’s rights experts, and educationalists, and stated categorically that children had the right to ‘the knowledge and confidence to make decisions which will affect their health, wellbeing and relationships’.
Commenting at the launch of the report, Lucy Emmerson, Coordinator of the Sex Education Forum, said: ‘The odds of a young person learning vital information about equal, safe and enjoyable relationships are no different than the toss of a coin. The ultimate consequence of this is that many children don’t know how to recognise abusive behaviour or how to seek help. With evidence about the benefits for children and young people of teaching SRE stacked up high and a growing list of politicians calling for the subject to be mandatory, there is no excuse for Government to continue leaving SRE to chance.’
The BHA’s Education Campaigner, Jay Harman, added: ‘Good-quality, age-appropriate SRE in schools has long been demanded by the evidence, by the public, and by the overwhelming majority of politicians. What this report demonstrates is that children are demanding it too, and we hope that it will provoke the Government to introduce measures that will finally ensure all young people are equipped with the knowledge they need to stay safe and healthy.’
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For further comment or information, please contact the BHA Education Campaigner, Jay Harman, at jay@humanists.uk or on 0207 324 3078.
Read the full report ‘Heads or tails? What young people are telling us about SRE’: http://www.sexeducationforum.org.uk/media/34250/Head-or-tails-SRE-2016.pdf
Read the BHA’s previous news item ‘Chairs of four parliamentary select committees write to Education Secretary demanding statutory PSHE and SRE’: https://humanists.uk/2016/01/08/chairs-four-parliamentary-select-committees-write-education-secretary-demanding-statutory-pshe-sre/
Read the BHA’s submission to the Education Committee Select Committee’s inquiry calling for statutory PSHE and SRE: https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/Commons-Education-Select-Committee-PSHE-and-SRE-inquiry-Written-submission-from-the-British-Humanist-Association.pdf
Read more about the BHA’s word on PSHE and SRE: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/school-curriculum/pshe-and-sex-and-relationships-education/
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.
The BHA is a member of both the Sex Education Forum and the PSHE Association.