Today’s news review looks at renewed calls for compulsory sex and relationship education in schools.
Sex and relationship education
Today, Wednesday 15 February, the Local Government Association (LGA) called for sex and relationship education (SRE) to be compulsory in all schools.
The LGA claimed that more thorough teaching of sex education could bring down rates of sexually transmitted infections among teenagers.
Their claims were reported by the Press Association, BBC Online, Guardian, Daily Mail, i newspaper, Telegraph, Times and the Mirror.
Most of these outlets recognised that this is a priority issue for the Secretary of State Justine Greening.
As she told the Women and Equalities Select Committee earlier in February, we want to provide all young people with a curriculum that prepares them to succeed in modern Britain. The department is currently examining how schools can deliver high-quality and age-appropriate SRE.
The future of SRE teaching will be addressed in the incoming Children and Social Work Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
High-quality education on sex and relationships is a vital part of preparing young people for success in adult life.
It is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and, as the Education Secretary said recently, we are looking at options to ensure all children have access to high-quality teaching in these subjects.
We will update the House during the passage of the Children and Social Work Bill.
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