Sex education should be compulsory in secondary academies and free schools

Sex and relationship education (SRE) needs to be an essential part of secondary school curriculum, with parents given the choice to opt their child out, the Local Government Association has announced.

Councils have stated that the compulsory curriculum should be rolled out in secondary academies and free schools to reduce the amount of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed in younger people later in life.

This follows concerns that the number of STI diagnosis rise once people leave school, with 141,060 diagnoses for those aged between 20 and 24 in 2015, compared to the 78,066 for those aged between 15 and 19.

SRE is compulsory in council-maintained secondary schools, but not in academies or free schools, which make up 65 per cent of all secondary schools.

The January 2016 census also shows that more than two million young people are studying in academies and free schools, leaving a large portion of pupils without SRE.

Town halls say this needs to be recognised as a major health protection issue.

A survey by charity Plan International UK also found that more than eight in 10 people believe that SRE should be compulsory in schools.

About £600 million is budgeted each year to sexual health, and is one of the biggest areas of health spending for councils.

Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, commented: “The lack of compulsory sex and relationship education in academies and free schools is storing up problems for later on in life, creating a ticking sexual health time bomb, as we are seeing in those who have recently left school.

"The shockingly high numbers of STI diagnoses in teenagers and young adults, particularly in the immediate post-school generation, is of huge concern to councils.

"We believe that making sex and relationship education compulsory in all secondary schools, not just council-maintained ones, could make a real difference in reversing this trend, by preparing pupils for adulthood and enabling them to better take care of themselves and future partners."

She added: "The evidence suggests that when designed and delivered in the right way, SRE can have a really positive impact on a pupil's development.

"However, we are also conscious that some parents may wish to remove their children from this, which is why we are saying there should also be provision for parents to opt their children out of lessons, if they consider this to be in the best interests of their child."