Schools are being pointed to a diagnostic tool suggesting that ‘sex at 13’ is normal, a Parliamentary committee has been told.
Appearing in front of the Education Select Committee today, Sarah Carter of the Family Education Trust, pointed MPs to the ‘Traffic Light Tool’ produced by ‘sexual health’ group Brook, which features in a booklet labelled ‘Supplementary advice to the Sex and Relationship Education Guidance’ and produced by Brook, the PSHE Association and the Sex Education Forum.
The Traffic Light Tool (see here) suggests that ‘interest in erotica/pornography, sexually explicit conversations with peers and consenting oral and/or penetrative sex with others of the same or opposite gender who are of similar age and developmental ability ’ reflect ‘safe and healthy sexual development’ and ‘provide opportunities to give positive feedback and additional information’.
Andrea Williams commented:
"This material should be outlawed. It is dangerous. It will harm our children. It encourages them into premature sexual activity which is damaging to them. It sexualises them and encourages illegal activity. The Government should immediately review all the material produced by Brook and suspend its use in schools."
'Encouraging illegal activity'
Sarah Carter highlighted that the legal age of consent for sexual intercourse is 16 and suggested that the advice therefore encouraged illegal activity.
In response, the Committee’s Chairman, Graham Stuart MP, suggested to the Chief Executive of the PSHE Association, Joe Hayman, that “not to send out a message that it's wrong, that it's harmful, it's dangerous, is in fact to almost to collude with something which we know is damaging to young people.”
When questioned more about Brook’s Traffic Light Tool, Mr Hayman, claimed that he could not be held accountable for every link contained in its supplementary guidance but agreed to write to the Committee with further information.
Take action to protect children
If you have children or grand-children in school, why not find out how the school approaches Sex and Relationship Education, what is being taught and what resources are being used? You have a statutory right to withdraw your children from SRE if you wish.
Related Coverage:
Teachers told: sex at 13 'is normal part of growing up' (Telegraph)
Sex 'normal at 13' suggestion raises concerns (BBC)