What happened?
British children aged six are being taught about “self-stimulation” of “private parts”, the Mail on Sunday has revealed. The All About Me programme, whose materials have been used in more than 240 primary schools, includes a teaching manual which advises teachers to tell six-to-10 year-olds about how people “stroke themselves”.Why was it under-reported?
The media have struggled to deal with the issue of sex education: the Government’s recent expansion of “relationships and sex education” was passed with little scrutiny or debate. As Celia Walden wrote in the Daily Telegraph last week, political correctness has led to an uneasy silence: “At a kids’ party on Saturday, I couldn’t help noticing how many discussions on parental subjects were permeated with pauses. It wasn’t just that people weren’t sure what they were allowed to say, but that they weren’t sure what they were supposed to think any more.”What will happen next?
Warwickshire County Council, the main sponsors of the All About Me programme, have sounded reluctant to change course. Ian Budd, assistant director for education services, wrote in a newsletter that “The All About Me programme is a thoroughly researched, evidence-based resource.”More such stories can be expected: from September 2020, all schools will have to offer “sex and relationships education”. The Government claims that sex education will be kept out of primary schools, but the All About Me programme suggests otherwise.
