I've just seen the new "Sexual Health and Relationships" teaching pack that Glasgow is rolling out.
I am totally happy with it. It is 95% exactly the same as what the school had previously been doing as "Personal and Social Development". However, the fact that they have put "Sexual Health" into the title has provoked outrage - yet if they hadn't, they would have been accused of doing "sneeking in" sex education.
The only real change at an infant school level is that they introduce all body parts' names at P1 (= reception) level. SO while they are talking about head, leg, foot, they will also - in passing - teach the correct names for "sexual bits", ie penis and vulva.
The research behind this is to ensure that the children have a common vocubulary. Froma child protection perspective, abuse has been missed because a teacher hasn't picked up on the innoicuous vocabulary that a child might use (eg, "Uncle Jo keeps stroking my bunny").
That's it. All the rest of the education - integrated into every day teaching (which is why the primary school insisted on having all the teachers trained in the new teaching pack, rather than just having 6, as suggested by the Education dept) is about relationships and being confident and secure in them.
It's P3 (= Y2)before they even cover "where humans come from" - and at that stage it is as simple as "from your mummy's tummy". We asked what would happen if a kid then asked how the baby had got into the tummy - and they said that they would be guided by the children - eg. "That's a good question, how do you think?" - and may even simply say "that's something we will talk about later".
As part of the same curriculum, in P3 they are also looking at bullying, how to deal with it and their responsibilites towards other when involved in bullying sitation, as well as postive attributes of relationships and how to manage feelings (like it is OK to be angry or upset - but not to take it out on others).
The point is that it is all age appropriate.
In answer to Majordanjarvic' somewhat assinine comparison with driving lessons , there is a grain of truth in what he said - only it makes the eaxct opposite point to the one he was trying to make. As soon as ds could walk, I was teaching him about traffic and how to be safe - he'll only actually drive a car when it is legal to do so, but he has to live ina world where traffic impacts upon his life and he has to be aware of how to deal with it. So we (dh and I) encourage him in small steps to become aware of road conditions and to develop his independence. He's now 10 and this morning he cycled to school on his onw - but we will cycle home with as the traffic coming home is still a bit dangerous).
In the same way, he needs to develop an awareness of healthy relationships and what they involve incldung sex as he grows up - but I would hope that he won't actually lose his virginity until he is fully mature and loves the person he is with.
FWIW (not that it is really relevant): I only lost my own virginity when I was nearly 22, although had done plenty of "fumbling" before then. But that is due in a large part of the open way my parents talked to me - not everyone was/is so fortunate.
Interestingly the school said that the only time they have had problems with "sex education" was from the kids that were withdrawn from the P7 sex education classes who then peddled straight mistruths in the playground, to the extent that the head teacher had 7 girls in tears at her door, thinking that what these ignorant misguided children had told them was fact :( (What was said was apparently so shocking, the head teacher wouldn't repeat it to us) That's what ignorance can lead to :(