Focus
appropriate” sex education lessons will
become mandatory for children from the
age of five. While at present the lessons
are compulsory for students from the
age of 11, under the new curriculum,
all children in state schools in England
will learn about body parts and animal
reproduction from the age of five, about
puberty and intercourse from the age of
seven, and about pregnancy, contracep-
tion and safe sex from the age of 11. This
has already sparked heated debate down
south about whether the move will take
control away from parents, and from
faith groups who are concerned about
faith schools not being able to opt out of
the mandatory programme.
However, as education is devolved
to Scotland, this will not apply north of
the border. Moreover, as Scotland has no
national curriculum, currently there is
no legal requirement for Scottish schools
to teach sex education, only guidance, so
it is left to the individual schools to deter-
mine how this is delivered.
For the pupils at Glasgow Academy
learning about Susan and Mac, the
school and parents selected the Positive
Steps programme. The programme,
which is delivered to pupils in primary
six and seven, has been designed to bring
in aspects of sexual health in the context
of the life cycle, explains Derek Sharkey,
chief executive of the charity Positive
Steps. courses is to get the young people feeling explains Adam Stevens, fpa. “It is so
“It’s all about informed choices,” comfortable talking about the issues in important that parents have a dialogue
says Sharkey. “It’s saying to children that the hope that it will give them the confi- with their children.”
they need to be aware about things that dence to continue the dialogue at home However, what both of these
can affect their health so they can make with their parents. approaches have in common is that they
the right choices for them.” And yet this too can present a num- were chosen for children not by children.
The organisation has a number of ber of challenges as some parents may So what would they choose for them-
presenters who can go to the schools and feel uncomfortable or ill-prepared to selves?
deliver the programme, or alternatively, answer their children’s questions about “About six years ago there were
they have resource packs that can help sex. In a bid to help parents, the Family a number of concerns about the sex-
guide teachers to deliver it themselves. Planning Association (fpa) has designed ual health of young people in West
While he accepts that some teachers a course that aims to encourage parents Lothian,“explains Ruth Ritchie, service
may feel uneasy about delivering the and carers to take on the role of sex and manager, Children 1st. “So the council
classes themselves, he says that he thinks relationships educator. Having recently decided to hold an extensive consulta-
it should be part of the curriculum. branched out to Scotland, the Speakeasy tion with as many young people as they
“Dealing with it separately can mark course has been designed to help adults could get in touch with about what they
it out as something different or taboo,” gain greater confidence in an area that wanted to do about it.
he explains. “I think it normalises it if can cause embarrassment and awkward- “The overwhelming response from
the teacher is the one telling the kids ness for parents and carers. During the the young people was that they wanted
about it. free eight-week course, the adults learn somewhere that was theirs. Somewhere
“But I realise that some feel uncom- about puberty, STIs, contraception, and that they could access on their own terms,
fortable about their relationship with how to talk about sex and relationships when they wanted to, for whatever infor-
pupils. It can be difficult to be talking in the context of family life. mation and support they needed.”
about English one minute and sex the “Children are naturally inquisitive so The result was the Chill Out Zone
next,” he adds. it is really important that adults are pre- (COZ) in Bathgate, a healthy living cen-
However, he also says that it is sim- pared to answer their questions - even if tre that has been designed for and by
ply impossible to cover everything in a it is just starting off talking about body young people aged between 12 and 20.
few short lessons, and so a key part of the parts and building that up little by little,” Run by the charity Children 1st, its aim
24
| 17 November 2008 | Holyrood magazine | www.holyrood.com |
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