Yvette Cooper's proposals for compulsory sex education from seven years of age (Daily Telegraph) amount to a slap in the face to parents, says a national parents' advocacy group. Safe at School rejects compulsory sex education because it takes away the rights of parents to protect their children from unacceptable, inappropriate classroom sex lessons.
Antonia Tully of Safe at School said: "Yvette Cooper is effectively saying to parents that they are unfit to teach their own young children about sexual issues. Parents are the primary educators of their children in matters of sex and relationships. We'd like to see schools supporting parents in talking to their own children about sex, not taking over the role of parents."
Last month the government rejected a recommendation to make sex education compulsory. In response to a House of Commons Education Committee report, the government stressed the importance of schools consulting with parents to make sure that sex education was in line with the wishes of parents and their religious and cultural values.Safe at School is a campaign of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk
For more detailed comments or an interview with Antonia Tully, please contact Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's Media Manager, on: