Mum fumes as daughter, 9, refuses to go to school after sex education lesson
A mum is criticising "inappropriate material'' in sex education lessons - which features pictures of real and cartoon naked people. Emma Cormie says her daughter was left "anxious" and "stressed" by the images at primary school.
Stunned Emma says her nine-year-old daughter told her that she and her friend had seen "pictures of a naked man" at school. She says her daughter was referring to the RSHP (Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood) education programme.
A slideshow from the "Progression 1," or second-level of RSHP education contains a basic description of sex and explains that pregnancy can occur as a result, as well as explaining the proper names for body parts. One slide from RSHP shows an outline of a cartoon penis, explaining the meaning of an erection, while another shows a drawing of a cartoon couple in bed, with a basic description of sexual intercourse provided alongside. Other slides explain the changes that occur during puberty, as well as providing a simple explanation of how pregnancy occurs. The slide show also includes a photograph of a real-life naked man and woman.
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Mrs Cormie says she was not given prior warning by the school that her daughter was about to undergo this part of the curriculum.
Mrs Cormie said: “I absolutely would have wanted a personal email to inform me that this was starting. That way I could have supported my daughter through it. I asked other parents if they knew this was starting and I found out it was put on the school blog but there was no explicit notice given. But then I got sent the official teaching materials from the RSHP.
“I was just utterly shocked at what I was seeing. It was far beyond any kind of expectation that I had for this subject for this age of children. My whole concern is that my daughter showed extreme anxiety after getting this programme in school. She did not want to attend school the next day.”
Mrs Cormie says she is not against RSHP but has called for more input from parents and for the current curriculum to be reassessed.
She said: “My whole issue is with the policy-making because I need to know what research has been done to determine this to be age-appropriate. Obviously I’ve been told that it’s normal for children to be embarrassed and so on but at what point is it harmful to a very young child.
“Parents know their children best and teachers are under enough stress as it is so there needs to be more liaising with parents. There is absolutely a need to cover these topics that are essential for our children to know about but that is very very different from some of this material. Let our children be children. They have one childhood.”
The council says teachers in the region have some flexibility in what they teach but added that they are still expected to abide by national guidance. The local authority also says that explicit warning to parents is given depending on the nature of the content being taught.
A council spokesperson said: “The level and form of communication may vary, but schools do make efforts to inform parents when sensitive topics are being introduced, ensuring they are aware and can engage in the process.”
They added: “Schools encourage parents/carers to raise any concerns they may have, ensuring that their requests are addressed in a way that aligns with both the family’s needs and the school’s educational responsibilities.”
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