CYP Now - Policy & Practice: Policy into practice - Sex education can't just be left to parents

How does a parent approach having "the talk" with their child for the first time? We may have learnt about sex education through the birds and the bees, but today our children's exposure to media images, societal influences and peer pressure mean that tackling sex education remains a worry for parents and a challenge for schools.

Two thirds of calls to charity Parentline Plus come from parents worried about their teenage daughters and pregnancy.

A survey by Sense Interactive CDs showed that 83 per cent of teenagers found their parents were embarrassed or unhelpful when giving advice on personal relationships or sex. But can young people expect effective sex education in schools either?

In February 2005 Ofsted, as part of a survey of 60 schools, found that personal, social and health education (PSHE) is poor in many secondary schools and non-existent in others. There was a huge variation between schools that had specialist teachers in the subject to those that opted out of any formal specialised lessons. More importantly, many schools disregarded the impact of PSHE on their pupils' personal development and focused on factual knowledge.

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