During the passage of the Children and Social Work Bill, the government tabled an amendment to make "age-appropriate" sex and relationships education (SRE) part of the national curriculum in primary and secondary schools. Ministers had faced mounting pressure to bring about the change following concerns that children are being left ill-equipped to cope with the new realities of online porn, cyber-bullying and sexting.
SRE involves teaching children about reproduction, sexuality and sexual health. It does not promote early sexual activity or any particular sexual orientation.
The current statutory provisions on sex education are contained in sections 403 and 405 of the Education Act 1996. Local authority maintained schools in England are obliged to teach SRE from age 11 upwards, and must have regard to the statutory Sex and Relationship Education Guidance, published in 2000. Academies and free schools do not have to follow the national curriculum and so are not under this obligation. If they do decide to teach SRE, they also must have regard to the guidance.
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