The Government's 'compulsory' sex education classes have a massive loophole

Education Secretary Justine Greening confirmed this week that sex education is to be a compulsory part of English school curriculums.

With a few glaring caveats.

Children from the age of four will be taught about safe and healthy relationships, and children in secondary school will be given appropriate lessons about sex.

The move received praise:

Sandra Horley, Chief Executive of the charity said:

SRE provides young people with the knowledge they need to develop relationships based on equality and respect, how to recognise domestic violence, and how to seek support when needed.

Horley believes that domestic violence incidents will be reduced if children are taught about the importance of consent, as well as what the markers are of a healthy relationship.

The Safe at School campaign however, criticised the decision and claimed parents would be “absolutely powerless to protect their children from presentations of sexual activity”.

Here's where the caveats come in.

Parents will still have the option of removing their child(ren) from sex education classes.

Additionally, faith schools may also opt out of administering the classes, on the basis that they can teach “in accordance with the tenets of their faith”.

There’s also a petition to make LGBTQ+ sex and relationship education part of the curriculum. It's something that's sadly missing right now and is desperately needed for young members of the LGBT community.

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