Primary school children in Scotland are taught about menstruation.

[ArabellaScott]

This video is used to teach about menstruation. It's linked in this activity plan.

'One of the physical changes of puberty that a person with a uterus will experience is getting their period as part of what's called the menstrual cycle.
This normally happens between the ages of 8 and 13, and for some people, even older.
Everyone goes through puberty at the time that's right for their body.
Once a person reaches puberty, those with a uterus, prepare for the possibility of eventually making a baby.'

https://rshp.scot/second-level/

How do children know if they have a uterus?

It's a shame, because this other article that is linked in the lesson is excellent. Clear, factual, and age appropriate.

https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/puberty.html

That's so ridiculous. Clearly designed by someone with no teaching experience. Any primary teacher would know that 'people with a uterus' would be hopelessly confusing to primary school kids.
And this stuff really matters. It breaks my heart when I hear of primary school aged girls being terrified and thinking they're dying when they start their periods because no one had told them about it.

https://rshp.scot/second-level/

Parents, teachers, and educators in Scotland can feed back using this form.

Also, the way the cartoon ovary strained to release the egg was a bit gross. The it was straining to poo 🤣

Yes, exactly.

My daughter came home declaring that she may not get a period because 'not all girls get periods'. Children trust teachers. Info must be presented simply and clearly and based on biological fact.

This is an interesting line:
"Everyone goes through puberty at the time that's right for their body."
Glad we've got that one sorted out, at least, but yeah, people with uteruses is just going to cause confusion.

The RSHP curriculum has built up from Early Level (from p1). So by second level they should know what a uterus is. Even at p1 they have naked male and female drawings to label (I believe it's just the external parts at that stage if I remember correctly, but as I say it gets more in depth as the years go on). But rest assured they do get taught that there are physical differences between the sexes. I taught it for years and there has to be a lot of over learning because it is quite complex really! Its why I always have a questions box because it allows children to ask privately and they may well be wondering what half the class are also wondering! It could be useful to mention it to school if your daughter doesn't understand because the teacher may not realise that your daughter didn't get it and gives them a chance to clarify for everyone.

Sigh. Another way to confuse Scottish children. Thanks for flagging Arabella.

Good for you for having a daughter who is happy to talk about it with you! I remember it being something no one talked about when I was at school and so I've done my best as a teacher to make sex and biology something we can talk about freely without embarrassment.

It's not correct, though, is it? Some people have conditions that may affect the onset of puberty, whether early or delayed, and this may be cause for investigation.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/early-or-delayed-puberty/

It's interesting how the people who are so keen to obscure sex based information seem to so clumsily overlook the very people they so often like to try to use to push their ideology.

It's almost like they are entirely about the feels and give little to no fucks about the need for accurate, helpful information. The consequences of this ideology go further than we think, because they lead to this kind of wishy washy, sentimental crap that really helps nobody and can actually be harmful.

All the years of trying to ensure children have a clear understanding of their own bodies, messed up because of daft, stupid activists undermining health messaging.

There is a vast amount of material on the RSHP resource site, far too much to wade through all at once, so I've been checking each level/area taught, as my children progress through the system.

Wherever there's been issues like this, I've raised it directly with the RSHP source. No need to raise with the school as I know for sure that every teacher is very clear and teach as well as they can. I know they don't support bad information, but they teach what is in the resources.

The problem is the resources. Some of them are good, some of them are dreadful.

The issue about my daughter 'not getting it' was because the lesson stated that not all girls get periods. The problem was not her comprehension.

The problem here is this activist produced American video. There are better resources out there.

Oy vey

I HATE it when children’s trust in teachers is undermined

how are they expected to learn effectively when some of the stuff their teachers say is obvious bollocks?

they’ve got real, important stuff to learn. We need to stop nutcase ideologues getting in the way

Great, thank you, too. 'Sex ed' is important, and it's important it's taught well.

Honestly, it's one of my favourite things to teach because the kids REALLY want to learn! And it's such a leveller in the class because it's going to happen to them all so they're all so invested! I think the idea of reporting concerns to rshp is good. Ultimately we need children to understand what's going on with their physical bodies.

Assuming you're roughly ages with me, do you remember "Living and Growing?" The old school videos where sex was shown as a cartoon couple in bed with a feather? I left that lesson none the wiser! 😂

NHS Fife is unhelpful. In their web page on “Talking to children about periods”

www.nhsfife.org/services/all-services/sexual-health/parents-and-carers/talking-to-children-about-periods/

Dr Brito-Mutunayagam explained that regardless of your child's gender, it is important that they have an understanding about periods and what to expect from quite an early age. This helps to manage expectations, foster awareness and to challenge taboos around menstruation. She also advised that discussing periods should not be one big sit down talk at a particular age. Instead parents and carers should start such conversations early and slowly and build on their child’s understanding over time.

There is no mention of girls, female or women. I could read it and deduce that a boy ought to be having periods and if he hadn’t by his mid teens a doctor should be consulted.

Bloody hell. The painful, studied, laboured attempt to ensure that every instance of 'girl' or 'woman' or 'female' has been carefully excised.

'Most people don't have any problems with their periods. But call your doctor if your child:

• is 15 and does not have their period'

The NHS should brace for around 50% of parents to call their doctor asking why their 15 year old doesn't yet have his period.

Wait. Parents of around 50% of children! The fuzzy logic appears to be catching!

It's so frustrating.

The concept that women have babies isn't complicated.

If you're trying to discuss menstruation, through a dense layer of all sorts of political ideology, kids will be unclear. It defeats the whole bloody object.

"This happens to girls, this happens to boys."

I bet a simple sentence like that will make the blood run cold of some teachers.

My god ! My Dd are adults so we thankfully escaped this shit. Parents have no chance do they ?

Well, I've ensured my children are taught very clear information, and I've had to explain that there are some muddled people who think its possible to change sex, etc.

I suppose parents have always had to navigate a complex and shifting landscape that includes well meaning idiots and zealots, as well as actually predatory people. So we teach children how to keep themselves as safe and sane and healthy and happy as we can.

But yes, it would be helpful if schools, governments, and the NHS weren't pushing this bullshit.

In my experience virtually all primary school teachers would be delighted to be able to teach a sentence as simple and straightforward as that. And our schools have been pretty good at countering sex stereotypes, too.

It all seems to get a bit murkier in secondary, which is where you tend to find the 'activist' teachers, with progress pride badges, etc.

It is just so unnecessarily complicated - in day to day life, I guarantee that all these children will be using the words “girl” and “boy” in the normal sex-based usage that is part of the English language as it has evolved over millennia.

If this is about communicating clearly to kids, why not use the language that they automatically understand?

Using ”people with a uterus” is idealogically driven. It is not inclusive if it erases the word “girl” and confuses the children.

It doesn’t matter if they have been taught all about the uterus etc, they will not necessarily remember, even plenty of adults are a bit unclear about all this (and colloquially use “womb”).

Talk to children so they understand, or what’s the point?

DD asked if DH chased me round the bedroom with a feather.

I told her (truthfully!!!) that no, he didn't.

In my experience virtually all primary school teachers would be delighted to be able to teach a sentence as simple and straightforward as that.

that's good to know.

My mum had a philosophy to answer questions as they were asked. And I was told at quite a young age.

She thoroughly enjoys telling me that I was rather worried in case I forgot, and made her promise to remind me when I was 21.