Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

Original poster

Sex education

12 replies

jctt · 29/06/2013 20:05

Does this all happen in primary school these days? Or is there more in secondary? And what does it cover? I've heard horror stories in the news of it containing all sorts. I don't really know what's involved..... We only had the biology aspects of it when I went to school. We never had any actual sex education as far as I remember!

OP posts:

ilikesweetpeas · 29/06/2013 20:07

It des happen in primary, but they have to inform you first and offer to let you see any resources they are using.

HedgeHogGroup · 29/06/2013 20:08

Its more sex & relationships and best practice is for it to be covered in Year 5. They talk about puberty, personal hygiene, friendships/relationships and some schools talk about penetrative sex.
If your child was doing it this year you'd have heard by now - you have to inform parents in case anyone wants to withdraw their child.

GetStuffezd · 29/06/2013 20:12

We do it in year five and six and it covers all the areas mentioned by Hedgehog. This year the nurse showed a truly hideous video from the 70's which finished with the very stern message that although our bodies might be ready to reproduce, babies need an adult mother and father. It was cringed and we won't be showing it next year. Nothing inappropriate.

BabiesAreLikeBuses · 29/06/2013 20:12

Schools vary massively but you can expect puberty to be covered at ks2 and most cover reproduction too.
At my school we teach scientific names for m/f body parts at ks1, puberty y4, reproduction y5 and talk lots about emotional changes in y6. It's done gradually and the kids are much more ready for it and sensible than you'd imagine.
Hth

NynaevesSister · 29/06/2013 22:14

In the NC they will cover reproduction in science anyway and you can't opt out of that. Our LA has an SRE (sex and relationships) program that starts from reception. Obviously they don't teach sex to 4 year olds! It is more about relationships and it is age appropriate. I really like this approach as I think that the feelings side of things is really important.

ReadytoOrderSir · 29/06/2013 23:24

Most counties have a recommended SRE syllabus that their schools should follow. In my area we cover puberty in yr5 and intercourse/conception in yr6.
I teach yr4 and will be doing health, hygiene, hand washing and headlice as well as naming lots of external body parts with proper names. The vulva/vagina discussion in the staff room was very interesting!

christmasjo · 30/06/2013 08:47

Ours start in year 1 by watching a video and topic in the classroom. I think it is a sex education video series produced by channel 4. Parents get to see the video and can choose to opt their children out. If they opt out they do gardening and discuss how plants grow etc. My son has just seen it and includes naming body parts by their real names ( vagina, penis, testicles, anus and even mentioned clitoris!) and talking how boys/ girls differ. Seeing a mum to be being pregnant and a cat giving birth to kittens. My son was chatty after the video. Some went over his head but he does know the real names for male and female genitals. Did not feel clitoris needed to be mentioned but it seems to be a part of information he has forgotten.
They repeat the video in year 2, then the video series progresses into more detail as they move up through the years. The headteacher said they watch a baby being born in year 4. If they feel the year group is not mature enough then they watch it the following year instead.

olibeansmummy · 30/06/2013 08:59

I think our y6s had the same video as getstuffezd was it all drawings rather than actual people?

They discussed the proper names for body parts and periods ( boys learnt about them this time, it was girls only in y5), the changes in puberty, sperm and eggs and emotional aspects, but nothing on actual sex.

Then they got a magazine to take home, that at least a few I know hid in the bin as fast as possible!

KingscoteStaff · 30/06/2013 11:05

Our school do parts of the body in Year 2 (including the cat having kittens video), Puberty in Year 5 (one third of our Year 6 girls have started their periods, so this was exactly the right time) and 'How a baby is made' in Year 6.

Everything (even the kittens!) is set in the context of a longterm and loving relationship.

For some reason, we don't do 'How does the baby (as opposed to the kittens) get OUT'.

Parents are invited in for a meeting beforehand, and get to see the video clips. They can then choose to withdraw their children from the teacher-led sessions.

We point out to them that if they do withdraw the children, it is a good thing to cover the subject themselves at home, rather than allow their kids to rely on a garbled second hand message from Little Johnny in the playground...

YoniBottsBumgina · 30/06/2013 11:18

I remember watching a childbirth video in year 9 and it was traumatic enough then - perhaps it is deemed too traumatising for year 6.

Periwinkle007 · 30/06/2013 13:20

a third of Yr6 girls have started their periods?! gosh that has shocked me, I knew girls were getting younger and obviously there have always been a small number have started at 9/10/11ish but still a third seems so many.

out of curiosity how do you explain periods to a child with a phobia of blood? any ideas. not something I need to worry about just yet but I am curious

ReadytoOrderSir · 30/06/2013 14:19

Just to expand on one point .. parents can withdraw their child from the PSHE aspects of the lessons, but they cannot withdraw them from the Science curriculum requirements, which is all the body parts stuff (or 'boobs & tubes' as my DD called it!)

Flip