Primary pupils to learn about transgender people and gay relationships
PRIMARY school pupils will be given compulsory lessons on relationships, including same-sex partnerships.
Under government guidelines published today, they will also be taught about respect for people who are transgender.
The lessons, which will be mandatory in primary schools, include teaching about relationships and ‘ healthy interactions’. They will warn children about the dangers of online grooming and spending too much time on social media.
In secondary schools there will be compulsory lessons on relationships and sex education.
Teenagers will be taught the dangers of sexting and how online porn can damage real relationships. They will also learn about sexual and reproductive health. Parents will retain the right to withdraw their children from sex education lessons.
Primary and secondary pupils will also receive lessons in mental health to combat the epidemic of anxiety and depression.
They will be taught how to look after their mental wellbeing and where to seek help. The lessons will make youngsters aware of simple ‘self-care’ techniques such as exercise and socialising.
The new sex and relationships les lum sons were championed by former education secretary Justine greening last year. guidance on the topic had not been updated since 2000 and there had been calls for reform to help youngsters deal with the challenges of the internet age.
Yesterday education secretary Damian Hinds said: ‘I want to make sure our children are able to grow up to become happy and wellrounded individuals who know how to deal with the challenges of the modern world.
‘Part of this is making sure they are informed about how to keep themselves safe and healthy and have good relationships with others.
‘Many of today’s problems did not exist when we last gave schools guidance on how to teach relationships and sex education 18 years ago. The action we’re taking is important to help support teachers and schools design a curricuthat will enrich their pupils in an age-appropriate way. good physical and mental health is also at the heart of ensuring young people are ready for the adult world.’
The Department for education said the mental health classes, compulsory in all schools from september 2020, will be ‘age appropriate’ and young children will not be
‘It will be age appropriate’
taught in detail about mental illnesses, although teachers will be free to interpret the lesson guidance as they see fit.
They will be required to tell primary pupils that mental health is just as important as physical health. They should make it clear it is ‘normal’ to experience a range of emotions and help children work out how to recognise them and talk about them. Children should be told how to make a judgment on whether their feelings are ‘appropriate and proportionate’.
They should be made aware of simple self-care techniques such as exercise, being outside, relaxing and spending time with family and friends.
In secondary schools, more complex topics will be introduced such as internet safety and how to talk about mental wellbeing in a sensitive way.
But the proposals provoked concern among some experts, who said there was a danger youngsters might be taught to be too introspective.
Alan smithers, professor of education at the University of Buckingham, said: ‘ It’s extremely well-intentioned but it sounds very hard to implement. If you leave it up to teachers’ interpretation, it is going to come out in all sorts of different ways – some of which may not be particularly helpful. Mental health is extremely important, but there is a danger in simplifying these matters too much.
‘It is possible that dwelling on these matters could easily make children concerned without necessarily making life better for them.’
Chris Mcgovern of the Campaign for Real education said: ‘This is extremely dangerous territory. There is a concern that we might be foisting adult anxieties on children if we promote too much introspection.
‘Introspection can create problems that may not have existed before. Too often it can be a Pandora’s box, and I have reservations about turning teachers into pseudo-psychiatrists. Often the most helpful thing for happiness and wellbeing is to encourage children to get out into the community to interact with others.’