Subjects like pornography, sexting and the nature of consent has become an compulsory subject for the students in age between 11 and 16 years in school after the government across Britain realised that 7% of them had sent a sexual image to someone else.
The plans, drawn up the government, could broaden what youngsters are taught as it is believed that sexual bullying and sexting are now endemic.
Local authority schools are obliged to teach and include sex education in the curriculum, while free schools and academies – which now make up more than 50 per cent of secondary schools – do not. Justine Greening, the education secretary, received letters from five parliamentary select committees asking for sex and relationships education to be a statutory subject.
A government source told the Sunday Times: ‘Justine is clear that this is something that has to be looked at.
‘It is not just a question of making it mandatory but also of what we should be teaching, including issues such as sexting and domestic violence.’
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: ‘High-quality education on sex and relationships is a vital part of preparing young people for success in adult life Speaking at the Education Select Committee in September, Greening said ‘We have all seen the report that came out yesterday in relation to sex and relationship education and I think it is time that we looked to how we can do a better job”.
She also said that there is a real opportunity to make sure that that area plays a full role in helping our children come out of school not just knowing all the stuff that they need to know and having the right academic capabilities, but they are able to make informed choices about a variety of different areas that they will need to take a view on as they reach adulthood.
A government source told the media ‘Justine is clear that this is something that has to be looked at.
“It is not just a question of making it mandatory but also of what we should be teaching, including issues such as sexting and domestic violence.”
