Primary schools are being pressured
into providing sex education under a scheme to promote ‘healthy’
lifestyles, a report claims today.
And secondary schools are being encouraged to hand out contraception and hold condom demonstrations in class to prove they are sending out ‘healthy’ messages, it says.
Campaigners claim the Healthy Schools Programme is being used to impose ‘permissive’ sex education without a national debate.
Launched in 1999, it had its central funding cut this year, but is still being promoted by local authorities.
In a survey of all 152 English councils, the Family Education Trust found one in five told primary schools that decided not to teach sex and relationship education they would not be eligible for ‘Healthy Schools status’.
This is despite the fact that primary schools may decide if they want to teach sex education beyond the requirements of the curriculum.
This month, Schools Minister Nick Gibb ruled out implementing Labour’s commitment to compulsory sex education for those as young as five.
Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said it was ‘very concerning’ that primary schools were still being leant on to provide it.
‘Primary schools that make a principled decision not to teach sex education should not be stigmatised and denied a sought-after award for that reason,’ he said.
‘There is nothing inherently “unhealthy” about a primary school that decides not to teach sex education.’
To achieve ‘Healthy Schools status’ schools must meet 41 criteria covering personal, social and health education, healthy eating, physical activity and emotional health and well-being.
While there is no direct financial incentive, schools that achieve it can use a special logo on their websites promoting their status.
More than 70 per cent of schools have the status and most councils are encouraging the remainder to follow suit.
Head teachers assess themselves against the criteria – which are on the Department for Education website – but local authorities provide a ‘quality assurance function’, checking they are on the right track.
The Family Education Trust found ‘considerable levels of inconsistency’ over how the Healthy Schools guidance is interpreted and applied.
Northamptonshire county council supported giving pupils as young as 12 the opportunity to practise putting a condom on a demonstrator device in the classroom. But it believed ‘it would not be appropriate to supply free condoms’ to pupils for the lessons.
However, this approach was not followed by all councils. South Tyneside, for example, believed it would be ‘good practice’ to give free condoms to pupils older than 14 for such lessons.
Overall, 8 per cent of councils believed pupils as young as 12 and 13 how to use freely supplied condoms would be in line with the guidance.
Six per cent of councils said it would not be possible for secondary schools to get Healthy Schools status if they did not wish to refer pupils to contraceptive and sexual health clinics.
Mr Wells said: ‘In some parts, the programme is being used to impose a liberal and permissive type of sex education on schools by the back door.’
New figures show that more than a third of boys’ prep schools – which cater for pupils up to 13 – experienced a significant rise in numbers this year.
The group behind the figures, the
Independent Association of Prep Schools, said parents were worried about
peer pressure in mixed schools, which can lead to boys being labelled
as ‘gay’ if they show a flair in drama, art or music.
According to the IAPS, which represents 600 private prep schools, 37 per cent of all-boys’ schools saw ‘strong growth’ in their numbers this year, up from 29 per cent in 2010.
The term is used for an increase of 3 per cent or more in September enrolments. By contrast, just 17 per cent of co-educational prep schools reported a strong growth in numbers, while for all-girls’ prep schools the figure was 15 per cent.
David Hanson, chief executive of the IAPS, said last year was the first time ‘after decades of gradual decline’ that there was an increase in numbers at all-boys’ prep schools.
He said: ‘That’s continued this year, so it obviously wasn’t a blip…Parents want their boys to have a proper all-round education.’ The peer pressure in some mixed schools is ‘wrong in every way’, he added.
And secondary schools are being encouraged to hand out contraception and hold condom demonstrations in class to prove they are sending out ‘healthy’ messages, it says.
Campaigners claim the Healthy Schools Programme is being used to impose ‘permissive’ sex education without a national debate.
Decision: Some primary schools are being
pressured to provide more sex education than the curriculum requires so
that they can be part of the 'healthy' schools programme
In a survey of all 152 English councils, the Family Education Trust found one in five told primary schools that decided not to teach sex and relationship education they would not be eligible for ‘Healthy Schools status’.
This is despite the fact that primary schools may decide if they want to teach sex education beyond the requirements of the curriculum.
This month, Schools Minister Nick Gibb ruled out implementing Labour’s commitment to compulsory sex education for those as young as five.
Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said it was ‘very concerning’ that primary schools were still being leant on to provide it.
‘Primary schools that make a principled decision not to teach sex education should not be stigmatised and denied a sought-after award for that reason,’ he said.
HALF OF TEENAGERS FAIL TO USE CONTRACEPTION
Almost half of teenagers fail to use contraception with a new partner – almost twice as many as last year, experts claim.
An international survey found many can’t be bothered with contraception or think it is ‘not cool’, while one teenager in six is too drunk to take precautions.
A total of 43 per cent of sexually active 15- to 19-year-olds surveyed admitted having had unprotected sex with a new partner, compared with 25 per cent in 2010.
The figures from a survey marking World Contraception Day today show teenagers take more care about showering than taking precautions before a date.
Asked which took priority, 44 per cent ranked personal hygiene over contraception.
This is in sharp contrast to the survey’s finding that British youngsters are among the ‘most well-informed’ in Europe about sex and contraception.
An international survey found many can’t be bothered with contraception or think it is ‘not cool’, while one teenager in six is too drunk to take precautions.
A total of 43 per cent of sexually active 15- to 19-year-olds surveyed admitted having had unprotected sex with a new partner, compared with 25 per cent in 2010.
The figures from a survey marking World Contraception Day today show teenagers take more care about showering than taking precautions before a date.
Asked which took priority, 44 per cent ranked personal hygiene over contraception.
This is in sharp contrast to the survey’s finding that British youngsters are among the ‘most well-informed’ in Europe about sex and contraception.
To achieve ‘Healthy Schools status’ schools must meet 41 criteria covering personal, social and health education, healthy eating, physical activity and emotional health and well-being.
While there is no direct financial incentive, schools that achieve it can use a special logo on their websites promoting their status.
More than 70 per cent of schools have the status and most councils are encouraging the remainder to follow suit.
Head teachers assess themselves against the criteria – which are on the Department for Education website – but local authorities provide a ‘quality assurance function’, checking they are on the right track.
The Family Education Trust found ‘considerable levels of inconsistency’ over how the Healthy Schools guidance is interpreted and applied.
Northamptonshire county council supported giving pupils as young as 12 the opportunity to practise putting a condom on a demonstrator device in the classroom. But it believed ‘it would not be appropriate to supply free condoms’ to pupils for the lessons.
However, this approach was not followed by all councils. South Tyneside, for example, believed it would be ‘good practice’ to give free condoms to pupils older than 14 for such lessons.
Overall, 8 per cent of councils believed pupils as young as 12 and 13 how to use freely supplied condoms would be in line with the guidance.
Six per cent of councils said it would not be possible for secondary schools to get Healthy Schools status if they did not wish to refer pupils to contraceptive and sexual health clinics.
Mr Wells said: ‘In some parts, the programme is being used to impose a liberal and permissive type of sex education on schools by the back door.’
Peer pressure fear fuels boom in all-boys' schools
An increasing number of parents are choosing all-boys’ schools because they fear mixed education puts pressure on their sons to avoid the arts and conform to macho stereotypes.New figures show that more than a third of boys’ prep schools – which cater for pupils up to 13 – experienced a significant rise in numbers this year.
Booming: Applications for boys only prep schools
have experienced a significant rise because of parents' fears over
mixed education
According to the IAPS, which represents 600 private prep schools, 37 per cent of all-boys’ schools saw ‘strong growth’ in their numbers this year, up from 29 per cent in 2010.
The term is used for an increase of 3 per cent or more in September enrolments. By contrast, just 17 per cent of co-educational prep schools reported a strong growth in numbers, while for all-girls’ prep schools the figure was 15 per cent.
David Hanson, chief executive of the IAPS, said last year was the first time ‘after decades of gradual decline’ that there was an increase in numbers at all-boys’ prep schools.
He said: ‘That’s continued this year, so it obviously wasn’t a blip…Parents want their boys to have a proper all-round education.’ The peer pressure in some mixed schools is ‘wrong in every way’, he added.
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