In reality, however, there is no standardised approach to sex educationin Dutch schools, and a wide variety of methods are used - just as inthe UK.
During their visit to the Netherlands (which was featured in a Channel 4programme), UK head teachers Ralph Jagger and David Harris werepresented with the most explicit end of a very broad spectrum, which isnot typical of sex and relationships education provision in the countryas a whole.
There is also no evidence to show that sex and relationships educationin Dutch schools has resulted in lower teenage conception rates. Infact, during the years immediately following the introduction ofcompulsory sex education in Dutch secondary schools, teenage pregnancyrates went up rather than down, and teenage abortion rates and sexuallytransmitted infection rates have continued to rise.
Our own report, Deconstructing the Dutch Utopia, found that social andcultural differences between the two countries offer a much moreconvincing explanation for lower rates of teenage pregnancy in theNetherlands.
Norman Wells, director, Family Education Trust.
