Sex Education

[Noraise]

Is Sex Education in primary school ( Y5) mandatory?
Can anyone please advise me if it is? School is an academy by the way.

They definitely should have separate talks still (in addition to lessons together). It's very different being taught the biological facts about periods, to learning the practicalities of dealing with them and the emotional side. Girls need a safe space to ask questions which they may not feel comfortable asking in front of male peers (or even male staff).

I would say that by Y5, they probably have a good idea of the mechanics anyway from other children in the playground. They may as well learn something actuate.

You could also have a chat about the basics beforehand perhaps? If you would rather the message comes from you?

When it comes to your children, nothing is mandatory. The school don't own your kids, you do. The use of words like mandatory are ridiculous and shows you just how much power some parents are prepared to hand over to the government.

OP I totally agree with you.

My year 6 11 year old was taught about anal sex. I thought that was terrible. So i would advise all parents to find out the agenda of what is being discussed as it might well go beyond how a baby is made.

My child is in year 5. We had a message this week saying that they were learning how a baby is made from conception in class this week. There was a few outraged parents commenting asking to withdraw their child.

Interestingly none of these parents turned up to the PSHE talk they did earlier this term to share what they'll be teaching.

You can request curriculum document, and they will provide. They are unlikely to discuss any transgender things this early - just confuses them; will probably be about what their bodies mean, how boys are different from girls and how they will develop differently. Mostly basic biology.

That said, i'm forever grateful to the 4 teenagers, who I played with in the area when I was 6, for stopping me from picking up a used condom on the ground - they explained me everything that day - what it is, what body part it's for, how to use it and how to put it on, what goes inside and etc. And significantly better than 'teachers' did when I was 12yo. So yeah, chances are, your kid already knows some stuff.

Strangers? Really? They're qualified teachers.

I'm quite surprised at this thread. I (and many friends) didn't know the mechanics of sex until year 7 and didn't have any sex Ed until year 9.

Many children in year 5 are 9 years old...do they really need to know all that?

I'm all for safeguarding (eg private parts are private, if anyone asks to see yours/ shows you, tell someone) + at home would be having appropriate discussions but a blanket sessjon where we ruin the innocence of children in one fell swoop seems a bit hasty

I think ruining innocence is a strange concept. My eldest is in year 5 and is 9 (end of august baby) and she knows the mechanics of sex, conception etc because she asked probably about a year ago and I didn't see the point of lying. She's still a normal 9 year old and has the same level of innocence to others (still believes in Santa etc).

There are many aspects of the curriculum that are statutory. The only way to truly avoid this is home educating.

Wow. You 'own' your children, do you? I would never feel that I 'own' my kids. You sound overbearing and controlling, and that will certainly do more damage to a child than a short lesson on how babies are made

Of course I do. They belong to me. They are mine.

I would rather my children learn facts from trusted adults than from others in the playground. With kids having smartphones young, it is sadly highly likely that by the time they leave primary school, someone will show them pornographic or inappropriate. I wouldn't want Andrew Tate to be the first source of information on this sort of thing.

You don’t know the parent’s backgrounds though. It could be a massive trigger . Like it is for me.

I appreciate you may have significant concerns due to your past. I had to do a lot of work when my children were very young to make sure I could engage with the subject.

However, your child is significantly safer being informed. And the fact is your child isn’t in a bubble, they will hear half stories in the yard.

Have you any support that you can work through this? The need for your child to be informed isn’t going to o get easier.

Yes all research for over twenty years has shown clear correlation between knowledge of biology and increased safeguarding.

Sex is normal and the younger children don’t equate the issues adults do. I knew at a very young age as did my children, it’s just biology.

People inaccurately equate knowledge with loss of childhood. The reality it is it protects many childhoods.

I presume you home school then, with that attitude?

Yes, I didn't learn any of this until year 9 either, however back then teenage pregnancies were very common, and a bit of a problem.

I'm not sure it's quite as dramatic as 'ruining their innocence' either.

Mine only did puberty and relationships. Definitely no anal sex. However my year 8 dc know far too much from friends so I’d probably opt for learning things safely in school than from friends or porn.

That presumption says a lot about you if I'm honest. You are so brainwashed that the thought of someone not blindly following along is bizzare to you.

I think it's a justified question by the poster.

If the children are in main steam school they are getting everything through the filter of a child at break time. I really would question that as there will likely be miscommunications.

I would hope that by year 5, parents had already done their job and explained to their own DC’s about puberty, relationships, human biology and not just left it to the school?

In an ideal world, yes, but we know that many parents won't have this conversation. Teenage pregnancy rates have dropped and I imagine ensuring that sex education is done long before year 9 helps with that. The children who are being sexually abused won't be being taught about this at home either as the abusers know education is power.

Even more important that it is taught in schools by year 5. When I was a school governor we had parents contacting us saying they didn’t want their DC’s to attend the classes as it would upset them/they were too sensitive. Turns out most already have a basic understanding by the time they are 9 years old. School just confirms what is fact and in an age appropriate way.

@Noraise
Perhaps the best thing would be to ask your child’s school to let you see their Relationships and Sex Education lesson plans, full, detailed accompanying teachers’ resources, and full teachers’ notes for each lesson to see what you think of them.