More than one in five (22 per cent) boys are looking for information about sex through pornography, a new report has found.
According to SafeLives, a UK charity working to put an end to domestic abuse, relationships and sex education (RSE) is “falling seriously short” of what young people need despite the curriculum receiving its first update in 20 years in 2019.
The report also found that the majority of LGBT+ students (61 per cent) disagree that LGBT+ relationships are being threaded throughout RSE.
Meanwhile, other shortages came by way of abusive relationships, with just 46 per cent of students saying they feel confident about who to talk to if they know someone who is experiencing abuse.
Additionally, only 24 per cent of those surveyed recall being taught about coercive control in RSE.
The findings were conducted via interviews, surveys and focus groups with more than 1,000 students and 60 RSE teachers in secondary schools across England.
Suzanne Jacob OBE, chief executive of SafeLives, commented: “At SafeLives, we are passionate about stopping abuse before it starts, and education is the single most powerful preventative tool we have.
“Our team has found some glaring gaps in the delivery of this new guidance. RSE should be equipping young people, often engaging in their first intimate relationships, with the support, knowledge and confidence to navigate relationships safely and healthily.
Instead, students feel let down and that they should be getting much more out of these classes - leaving many, especially boys, looking online for answers.”
Jacobs added: “We want to see schools across the country embedding a whole-school approach to RSE, where all members of a school community - students, staff, parents and governors - ensure RSE is prioritised and teachers are provided with the resources and time they need to build trust with their students.”
