* Jonathan Bartley: ‘In an age of growing insecurity and uncertainty every child and young person should be entitled to a broad education which properly prepares them, not just for the realities of the world today, but what they may face tomorrow.’
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, today heard from young people about what Sex and Relationships Education is really like in 2016, and pledged to support Terrence Higgins Trust’s campaign to make the subject mandatory.
At the event in Parliament, Bartley met with young people aged between 16 and 19 who shared their experiences of sex education at school.
The students highlighted why - in an age of social media, the internet, and equal marriage - sex education must go beyond labelling body parts and biology. They described how they had been let down by infrequent, low quality and non-LGBT inclusive Sex and Relationships Education.
Bartley signed a pledge backing the campaign for compulsory age-appropriate Sex and Relationships Education in all schools.
The event was part of the campaign to End The Silence on Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), by HIV and sexual health charity, Terrence Higgins Trust.
The charity released findings last month that showed 75% young people were not taught about consent and 95% were not taught about LGBT relationships.
The survey of 900 people aged 16-24 also revealed that one in seven respondents had not received any SRE at all.
Bartley said:
“It was amazing to meet so many inspiring young people at the House of Commons, and hear about why it is so important to have compulsory Sex and Relationships Education in Schools. This is what Caroline Lucas’ PSHE Bill would introduce.
“The wealth of information that is now available online and via social media particularly means it is crucial that everyone is equipped for the opportunities and challenges that this presents.
“In an age of growing insecurity and uncertainty every child and young person should be entitled to a broad education which properly prepares them, not just for the realities of the world today, but what they may face tomorrow."
Ian Green, Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said:
“We’re very grateful to Jonathan for supporting our campaign to end the silence on Sex and Relationships Education and for meeting with this inspiring group of young people.
“We’ve heard today how the lack of good quality, frequent and compulsory SRE means that young people are leaving school armed with little to no information on anything other than the biological basics of heterosexual sex. This is a generation that has grown up with equal marriage, smartphones and social media – the information they are currently given is wholly unfit to prepare them for the realities of sex and relationships today.
“We must end this silence and make SRE mandatory in all schools if we are to tackle issues such as homophobia, bullying, unhealthy relationships and poor sexual health.
“Quality SRE will help students make positive and informed decisions, and to have healthy relationships with themselves and others – wherever they go to school, and whatever their sexuality.”
Notes:
Terrence Higgins Trust provides support, information and advice services for those living with HIV and affected by HIV or poor sexual health. More information about their campaign for Sex and Relationships Education can be found here: www.tht.org.uk/endthesilence
More information here.
Terrence Higgins Trust launched an online survey on for seven weeks in February 2016. The survey was open to all young people aged 16-25 of which 42% of responses were from young people aged 22-25 years old.
A total of 1,035 young people took part in the survey, but not all completed it fully, resulting in 914 responses to analyse. Young people identifying as female accounted for 43% of responses, 36% identifying as male, 13% as non-binary, genderqueer or other and 8% as transgender.
Over 65% of respondents had attended a state school, 13% had attended an independent school and 10% had attended a grammar school. There were smaller percentages of respondents who attended academies, free schools and state religious or selective schools.
20% of respondents live in London, 15% live in the South East, 13% in Scotland and 11% in Wales. Other respondents, who amounted to smaller percentages came from other areas of England including the South West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, the North East and the North West.