Why aren't students being told more about sex?

There has been lots of publicity of late about sex education in schools, and how old youngsters should be when they are told the facts of life. But in all the furore about whether six year olds should be told what a penis is (!), we appear to have forgotten the teenagers.....

A new survey from the Sex Education Forum (SEF) has found that thousands of young people on college campuses across England aren't receiving vital advice about their sexual health.

The survey, which covered all mainstream further education and sixth form colleges in England, found that more than two thirds provided on-site sexual health services. At a minimum, these include providing young people with confidential advice, condoms and/or pregnancy testing. 64 of these colleges went further than that, providing more specialised services and wider range of contraception options.

That's impressive. What's not so impressive is the fact that 106 colleges (28.3 percent) did not provide any sort of sexual health services for their students. That's very poor indeed. Thirteen local authorities did not provide sexual health service provision in any FE or sixth form, and the provision varied widely between geographical areas. For example, 86.4 percent of colleges in the North East provided sexual health services, but just 58.3 percent in the North West. The lowest percentage was in the West Midlands (51 percent).

It's long been known that easy access to contraceptive services is incredibly important when it comes to reducing teenage conception rates - and so these colleges are really missing a trick. More than 700,000 young people aged 16-18 are currently enrolled in further education, and statistics show that the average age to first have sex in England is 16. With such passions raised about telling young children about sex, it's surprising that no one is getting more exercised about the lack of information and services for the young people who are actually sexually active.

Many of these students won't speak to their parents about this topic, and get inadequate information from their peers. More of these services are needed, and these colleges really do need to consider it - for the future of the students they are educating.

Read School Gate on:

Are schools focussing too much on feelings?

New sex education classes - let's hope there are teachers...

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Comments

[Wright]

It's not so much a matter of parents taking responsibility for teaching their kids "the facts of life". The issue at heart here is that most teenagers aren't learning proper information about sex. Unfortunately, the problem was much, much worse 30 years ago, so their parents have an absolutely atrocious level of ignorance on the subject. The various forms of birth control that have ben developed in the last decade, new problems with STIs, etc. are not "facts of life". Only someone who is educated on the subject can properly prepare teenages.

[Knock Knocn]

Students are bombarded with sex all day long. What rock are you living under?

[Bob Marley]

I despise articles like these. Whenever it comes to education, nothing is ever perfect enough is it? Why is it that people these days imply that education is the only way to better society's problems? Humans can be very narrow-minded sometimes.

[Hol]

Thanks Eve, that was exactly what I was getting at.

I'm not saying parents should be absent from the process, not at all. But they're a lot less informed about the mechanics of contraception than they are the relationship/emotional aspect of choosing to have sex, and in an age of rising young pregnancy and STD transmission the mechanics are pretty crucial. Since a good many (though obviously not all) of the parents are misinformed, it's ludicrous to rely on them alone to teach that information to the kids who will then grow up equally misinformed because Dad was mistaken and he imparted wrong info. Like Eve said, that just perpetuates things - the blind leading the blind.

What I'd personally say is let the sixth forms and colleges teach the mechanics and offer professional services/advice (because inevitably, some of these teenagers will have sex and they need to be safe) and let parents impart the relationship values that encourage them to either wait until they're older or at the very least be thoughtful and careful about choosing to have sex. You can't cut parents out of the process, that's ludicrous, but it's equally ludicrous to tell the Government/schools etc. to butt out and as a result have another generation can grow up having no clue about contraception or sexual health risks

[Whimsey]

We had a student health clinic on site, that provided 'no questions asked' contraception on demand, presumably on the grounds that students were 'going to do it anyway' and so might as well ensure they didn't get pregnant.

I think it supplied a lot of information and probably treatment too on sexual health.

It was a popular venue, and it was always fun seeing who'd turned up!

Do unis not have such on site clinics any more?

[Vicki]

Actually we do have the longest working hours in Europe, and are second only to the United States in all developed countries regarding working hours.
But as to the topic - after everything you get told in primary school, then secondary school and through friends etc...If teenagers haven't cottoned on by the time they reach college then I really don't think theres much hope for them.

[Derek Clifton]

As a father of five, a grandfather of fifteen and a great-grandfather of two children it is clear that family values have fallen and are in much need of repair. With regard to sex education, my family had just enough information to know that respect is more important than sex, in the case of both sexes, and that is the true message that youngsters need to absorb before they learn about where to put what into whom and why!

[Rich]

To whomever said the UK has the longest working hours in Europe ... all i can say is that u have to be wrong! Have you never heard of countries like France , Germany , Switzerland and Italy where an average working week is roughly 50 hrs depite the European Regulations. So if the parents apperantly don't have time to talk about it, they are to blame rather than their lives !

[Richard Holloway]

Yawn. Last time I checked colleges were there to teach young adults about the subjects that they had signed up for. This mission creep of things that schools 'should' be teaching is frankly rediculous. Headtechers need to get the cojones to say no. The more responsibilities we take out of parents hands, the less responsible they may feel for the welfare of their children. The state school system should not be responsible for anything more than teaching the standard subjects.

[Anna]

Ive always thought it would be a good idea if a sexual health doctor was made avlible to students in unis and or 6th form colleges, perhaps once a week to perform tests and offer advice...convieant, prehaps less embaressing for the teen then a clinc and properly informed advice. Where i went to college there was one clinc 10 miles away that was only open for 4-6hrs 3 times a week. they wouldn't make appointments a week in advance and so it was almost impossible to get an appointment, seems like a large failing to me!

[Alisa]

Teaching students and pupils about sex is a necessary step towards creating a foundation upon which they will eventually form future relationships.

Good health, emotional balance and few hang ups create, on the whole, a better, happier individual and they lead to better relationships and presumably a better society.

If parents want to become involved in the sex education of their children they need to work within a pragmatic framework which divorces sexual education and the need for safe sex from morality and the parent-child dynamic.

It is out of necessity that the State steps into it here. It provides a more balanced (and still awfully inadequate) approach to the one currently available (which is internet porn and peer group pressure) that's based on more pragmatic targets (such as the need to reduce health care bills and the rate of STDs).

In my experience few parents can provide the detachment necessary and their well-meaning objections have more to do with morality and over-protectiveness than realism.

Best,

[Baz]

I'm attending a college in the West Midlands as a mature student, and I was very pleased to attend the sex education lecture the other week. The college has a specialist lecturer who delivers the lecture to each class of new students every year, with a professionally produced kit and properly produced notes. Despite being 49 with 3 marriages behind me, I still managed to find a method of contraception I hadn't heard of!

No parent however informed will be able to give their children the sort of information that was given by that teacher - no parent has access to the supporting materials. I'm sure there are more parents in this country who are ignorant about reliable and safe methods of contraception which are currently available, than there are parents who know.

[Eve]

Dear Kazuki,

I see a great fallacy in your argument. If people will get all their sexual education from their parents, many of whom are misinformed about sex themselves, the myths will only perpetuate, this just cannot result in a new generation of parents free of sex myths.

I am not saying parents shouldn't talk to their children about sex. They should. But pupils should also be able to get accurate information at schools, so that myths would not perpetuate.

[Jenkins]

Parents don't have time to be responsible.. longest working hours in europe etc.

[Hilary]

I am sorry I do not, I repeat do not want a teacher telling my child about sex. I don't know what their attitudes and values are in this area. It is a parents responsibility and that is what the government should be ploughing the resources into. Parents if you are responsible enough to have sex and produce the children, then you are responsible enough to teach them about sex. Don't let the government take over your family responsibilities, you do it and I am sure you can do it a whole lot better than any teacher or government official. They are your children, you know them, they are part of you. I really cannot stand this governments interference in our lives. Sounds like they all need to get one of their own.

[Kazuki]

Dear Hol,

I have seen NOTHING in your opinion that says parents should not teach kids sex and only strengthens the argument FOR parents to teach sex to their kids.

These stupid myths would not arise had their parents been educated. Do you really want then next generation of parents to be full of myths?!

[Hol]

I'm not so keen as some for parents to be the ones to teach kids about contraception/sexual health.

Why?

Because some of the most ridiculous sexual myths I've heard have come from grown adults. My personal favourite is the continued advocation of the pull out method - zero protection from diseases and little from pregnancy, yet I've personally had to debunk the myth that it's a reliable method to a number of people.

Most of the magazines I read - Glamour, Cosmo, Company etc - are often running articles or campaigns desperately trying to demystify sexual health issues because even the adults seem to have no clue about the various forms of contraception and sexually transmitted diseases, particularly the latter. Shame people aren't paying more attention - a lot of people still don't seem to know you can have these infections and not show symptoms for quite some time while still being more than capable of passing it along.

I know when I was in university the last person I would have asked for such advice was one of my parents, but even if I had they'd have been little use for any but the more basic questions. There needs to be expert advice on hand from people who are at no risk of getting upset because their baby's no longer that innocent or worse, passing along misinformation because they're as uninformed as their son/daughter.

(I'm not saying that all parents are among the misinformed/ignorant on this subject, but I think enough are that these facilities need to be available on campuses)

[Carlo]

a) What needs to be taught (the value andh meaning of sexual relationships) is much deeper (and harder to teach) than telling kids about condoms.

b) The hope that a public institution such as a college (I work for one) can effectively substitute for the family in these matters is idiotic, sorry.

[Jaap, Groningen, Netherlands]

It's not only a UK problem, Dutch kids also don't seem to know anything about sex. And if they know something they've learned it all from watching porn. At this point there are even teens traiding sex for cigarettes or drinks. The Dutch government wants to do something about it, in the press they call it 'depornofecation' I tried to translate.

All the best,

[Andrew Milner]

According to Wikipedia: "Oliver Stone's father took him to a prostitute to lose his virginity, in his midteens." Presumably his dear papa felt he needed a friend of his own age. Can't help feeling there are some drawbacks to this somewhat extreme form of sex education. Doubtless in PC UK this would be considered a crime, albeit victimless. But at least Stone Senior took his responsibilities seriously.

[Conor]

I have to agree with this argument - whether or not you agree with sex ed at young ages in schools (I don't personally) there is no excuse for not providing sexual health info to those who need it most. People in university are generally sexually active and despite popular opinion not all sex ed questions are easy. What do I do if a condom breaks? What are the side effects etc. of the pill? What does the morning after pill do and how effective is it? Inexperienced people may not know the answers. Support those who need it.

Although I don't think well educated students are the teenagers getting pregnant in the first place I suppose every little helps...

[Bob Evans]

Do parents still have any responsibility? Very doubtful, since Government has stepped in to assume all the responsibilities that were once that of the family. Discipline a child? Sorry, the Government will tell you how. Just as they will tell you what to feed that child, what to teach the child about sex, teach the child about being responsible with money (oops, they have not done that yet, have they?) When people want a cradle-to-the-grave society, they willing yield the rights and responsibility of doing things themselves.

[Bob Evans]

Do parents still have any responsibility? Very doubtful, since Government has stepped in to assume all the responsibilities that were once that of the family. Discipline a child? Sorry, the Government will tell you how. Just as they will tell you what to feed that child, what to teach the child about sex, teach the child about being responsible with money (oops, they have not done that yet, have they?) When people want a cradle-to-the-grave society, they willing yield the rights and responsibility of doing things themselves.

[Bob Evans]

Do parents still have any responsibility? Very doubtful, since Government has stepped in to assume all the responsibilities that were once that of the family. Discipline a child? Sorry, the Government will tell you how. Just as they will tell you what to feed that child, what to teach the child about sex, teach the child about being responsible with money (oops, they have not done that yet, have they?) When people want a cradle-to-the-grave society, they willing yield the rights and responsibility of doing things themselves.

Dear Parents,

If you aren't prepared to tell your kids the facts of life yourself then you should be using the contraceptives as well.

[Angela]

Do parents no longer have ANY responsibility??

[Kazuki]

Dear all,

WHY does nobody in this country place the responsibility on the parents?!

It just reinforces the (justified) view from the rest of the world that you are not only embarassed but dishonest about your embarassment!

No wonder your pregnancy rates are so high!

And you have the nerve to blame it on the welfare system even though this problem was around well before New Labour came into power.

PARENTS TAKE SOME DAMN RESPONSIBILITY INSTEAD OF MAKING IT AN ISSUE FOR SCHOOLS TO DEAL WITH!

Regards,
Kazuki, Tokyo, Japan