Sex education for 9 yr olds in the UK?

My daughter is aghast. She has just dicovered that her nine yr. old daughter is being taught about the use of condoms during sex-education in school. The pupils, boys and girls, were given cards with different pictures on and they had to put them in the right order. e.g. flacid, erect penis etc. This is far too advanced for nine yr. olds, don't you think? I have found the booklet on line,
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/sreguidance/sexed...

The guidelines for primary schools laid out in Key Stages 1 & 2 seem to be quite adequate - it does not cover/include lessons in safe-sex and contraception. Is this 'nurse' who is visiting every primary school in the area going too far???

I'm absolutely appalled at your email. If this were my daughter's school I'd be down there demanding a meeting with the head as well as speaking to other parents to poll opinion. Children have a right to childhood and part of that is their innocence. This period seems to be getting shorter as it is; we should be protecting them against the responsibilities of the adult world at least until they are in secondary school.

I know plenty of people who were sexually active at a veryyoung age (like 10 or 11) don't you think it's better to start getting it into their heaads to use protection before they are likely to start experimenting? no I don' tthink 9 is too young, I knew alot abotu sex from about 6 and I think it has stood me in good stead, becsaue I knew about dangers adn risks, I didn't rush into giving into urges so young

Yes. Generally, 9 year olds learn the vary basics about sex in a single gender classroom setting (i.e. the little girls alone with a female nurse or teacher). They should learn things like menstruation and body changes, but nothing beyond that.

I do not think she is going too far at all. Kids know alot more than parents think they do. I was the same age, and learned the same things in sex ed. It cleared alot of things up for me, things I half knew, and half understood, or was just plain baffled by were explained. It was a good experience.

um that's Abbot the time i started and im pretty educated on the subject

My son is 9 and i would feel abit concerned if he was being shown those cards that you speak about. However i would like my son to know abit about sex education before he goes to senior school, where sex is more of an issue than in junior school. But it think that should teach it abit more basic in juniors and update them more when they are older.

When I was at school (and I am only 21 now) sex education was taught when a lot of pupils in the year, unfortunately, had already lost their virginity. I think that there is no harm in teaching young kids the dangers - I suppose we will find out in 3 - 7 years whether it is worth teaching sex ed to children that young.

Has your daughter spoken to the school about it?
It does sound like something for an older age group (though not that much older) I think they are trying to teach about basics during year six these days and I'm not necessarily against that. I'm definately not one of these people who believes teaching sex ed encourages young people to have sex younger.

i didnt get sex ed at school at all but i would not want my children geting that kind of intense education im afraid. girls should learn about their bodies with a lady teacher i agree and probably even the boys like wise with a male teacher but not that indepth sorry i would complain to the school

no matter what we do as parents, the world out there seems to have no more morals, instead of placing their energy in educating our children in values they educate them in sex, instead of spending time and recourses on crime and poverty they focus on legalising 12 year lods to use contraseptives and have abortions without their parents knowing......joke? i think not...it was just leagalised in South Africa? this is my motto, God gave my child to me, to love and to protect and to teach in His ways...that is all i have to do, i will not tolerate any teacher teaching my children about sex without my concent and as sure as the sun is shining and global warming is real, hell wont be as hot as the day i walk into any teacher or doctors room or office who has gone against my values my morals and my consent, i think all mothers should take up this attitude...good luck

It is young when you know full well your daughter (or grand-daughter) is not going to be doing this, gosh, my little cousin is 9 and she still plays with barbies and dolly's, there's no way she is into sex or boys or antyhing of the sort!

to be honest i think it could put ideas in their head! if they are completely innocent and then this nurse comes in talking about safe sex to her and her friends they're going to think that's what they should be doing at that age!!!!!

i think secondary school fair enough, but poisoning a child's mind with errect penis's is just madness

Maybe THIS is why the UK has so many teenage pregnancies, not the other way round???? Just a thought!!!

my son has just had sex ed in year 6, age 11 and i think that is right...though unfortunately he passed out and missed the video!!!!

i think that is too much too young at 9, my kids had been told about sex by me, and whenever they have asked questions i have answered them according to their ages.

i believe sex education should be dealt with primarily in the home. I agree with some formal stuff, but not till about 11 and they are going to move to senior school. i do believe though that once they begin formal sex ed lessons they should be taught about safe sex, but responsible parents should be discussing this with them anyway.

did the school not send out letters asking for parental permission? i thought they had to by law?

Unfortunately this is the world that we live it. It may not seem right but there are nine year old out there that are having sex. I remember going to high school with a few girls that had already had sex at that age. Even though I didn't have sex until I was way older my mother gave me the talks about condoms and kept them in the house, even though I was told repeatedly that she rather I wait until I was much older and wiser to have sex.

It may seem like too much for such young minds but it's better for them to be informed that to make a wrong decision because they didn't know. It also takes some of the curiosity out of it because they know what things are.

Good grief, erect penis's at 9!!!!!!!

My daughter is seven, i'd hate to think people will be poisoning her mind with sex and safe sex in just 2-years-time!

i agree they should be taught about their body, girls and boys aeperate! when i was at junior school (i'm 25 now) i was shown a video about body changes - nothing about sex or safe sex or erect penis's - shocking!!!

i would definately get your daughter to talk to the school if she is concerned, i'd definately rather sit my daughter down and talk about body changes than send her to school where a nurse is going to talk to her about something she probably wouldn't even be thinking about!

good grief, they are probably making these little 9-year-olds think that sex is what they should be doing if they are being taught how to have sex safely!

i think by secondary school they can go into more detail about sex - but 9 is a bloody child! how awful!!!!!

When I was at school we were taught at 12 & 13 years old and then the more technical aspects at 14 and 15, each set of lessons were obviously geared towards a more educated mindset because each time their was more information with these more advanced lessons.

Yes, 9 I think is too youung to be educated, like all new tricks, they will want to go and try it... Again, we are being told by a system that should have at first informed you of the nature of the lesson and its content so you as a parent can decide, this seems to have been taken from your hands and they have gone and done something that should require parental concent. Thats how it was done when I was at school....

my school only had sex education when we were 11 and we only learn about condoms when were 13/14 I'm my area so we haven't learnt that yet (I'm 12 btw),,i think 9 is to young and a bit to in dept for primary anyways whatever age.

i saw a programme recently on the youngest mother in britain. cant remember how old she was but it was pretty darn young. I think sex education is a good thing at this age. Kids are having sex younger and younger these days. If parents and staff were more open bout the whole thing, and advised kids about the dangers of it (stds) and also the risk of pregnancy, they might not be so quick to start something they know nothing about.

my daughter is 9 this year and i would be horrified if this went on in her school. my childrens school is a catholic school and would ask permission before something like this happened. the kids at the school as so much nicer than children who do not attend a religous school as they are taught everyday to respect one another and about loving one another but that does not include having sex ed at such an early age. i need to talk to her about the changes in her body soon as she is going to be an early developer but i certainly wont be showing her pictures of flacid penis's thats a subject for another day. i would have words with the headmaster and pull my child out of these lessons until they were a few years older.

children talk about this more often than we would want to know. my own daughter came home when she was just 7 saying how her friend had, had sex. so i sat down with her and explained what it was in none to complicated way. to which she says no mum i dont think she has had sex. i really think that children should hear this kind of stuff from us the parents, as well as the schools. that way they know the truth and dont get the wrong information from a mate.
but on the other side of it i dont think kids are kids for long today.