To think that school might have sent a letter home to parents

[2sugars]

if they are going to talk about puberty? DD1 is in Y5 (one of the youngest) and I heard from another mum on Saturday that they're discussing it.

As far as I know, they should send a letter out, telling you what they will be covering, inviting you to come and discuss if it you wish to, and informing you that you are able to withdraw your child from these lessons if you wish.

It might have changed though.

Is it possible that your child missed getting the letter, or taking it home? Is it languishing at the bottom of a book bag

Isn't it part of the National Curriculum though, so all state schools have to teach about it?

yes, school should have sent a letter home - we have to at secondary mld school to give parents option of withdrawing children....which they inevitably do

It is normal for year five to have sex education but parents should be made aware beforehand. We are offered the option to come in and watch the video the children will be shown. I did this last year - out of a year group of 60 children, seven or eight mums turned up and no dads at all.
My DD is also young in her year but we talk openly about this sort of stuff at home anyway so there were no surprises - except she was a bit grossed out by the film of a woman giving birth!

I don't think it's sex education as such, more a what's-happening-to-your-body sort of thing. Should I have hoped for a letter anyway, even though (I think) nothing sexual is being addressed. Although I fail to see how in a class full of inquisitive 9y olds how one thing can't lead on to another.

I think you are perfectly entitled to ask exactly what they are being taught. Sometimes they can misunderstand stuff and it is helpful to know exactly what it is they were being told in cause they have questions about it. For instance one friend of DD1's who was a couple of years ahead of her in school came to tea the day they had their sex education and announced at the tea table - 'well they told us all about girl's periods and they never mentioned boy's period's at all.'
'That's because boys don't have periods,' I said (trying to keep a straight face).
'But of course they must, otherwise how do they get rid of the seeds they don't need to make a baby with?'
I left that one for her mum to explain!