To: Government
Sex and Relationships Education Introduced to National Curriculum
We want the government to implement sex and relationships education (SRE) as part of the national curriculum while still respecting a parent's right to withdraw a child from these lessons. We want this education to be open and inclusive so it will get teens talking about sex. We want the lessons to address scenarios ranging from sexting, healthy relationships, exploitation, STDs and contraception. We hope this will reduce teen pregnancy and make teens more prepared for the decisions they make.
Why is this important?
While teen pregnancy is on the decrease in the UK, we still have the highest rate in Western Europe. Teen pregnancy rates here are 5 times higher than in the Netherlands and around twice the EU average. We believe that this difference is down to a reluctance to talk about the realities of sex in the UK.