Parents should be making decisions about when their children learn about sex not the state, says SPUC Safe at School in response to today's announcement that the government intends to make sex education compulsory from the age of four.
Making sex and relationships education a compulsory school subject means that millions of parents in Britain will lose control over what is taught to their children about sex, according to Antonia Tully, National Co-ordinator of the Safe at School Campaign.
"Today's announcement is a tragedy," says Mrs Tully. "Parents will be absolutely powerless to protect their children from presentations of sexual activity which we know is part of many sex education teaching resources for primary school children."
Classroom lessons on pornography and sexting are not a replacement for the loving, ongoing vigilance of parents, says Mrs Tully. "The state simply cannot safeguard children in the same way that parents can. This proposal is sending a huge message to parents that they are unfit to teach their own children about sex."
Keeping sex and relationships education a non-statutory subject is a vital acknowledgement by the state that parents matter most when it comes to their child's sexual development. Statutory sex education marks a sinister intrusion by the state into family life.
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