Schools in Liverpool are said to be amongst those providing the most inadequate sex education, according to a new survey.
Pupils who attended the likes of Calderstones Secondary School, Allerton, and Belvedere Academy, Princes Park, have claimed their sex education was a “one-off session” and “definitely could have been more thorough”.
Their experiences come after a new study revealed where in the UK schools are providing the worst sex education with Liverpool ranking first. Sexual health experts at Superdrug conducted a survey with sexually active adults from up and down the country, exploring the impact of stigma around STIs and how education may play a role in this.
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An average of 72% of people surveyed said they feel their sex education at school was very basic or poor, but that average is 12% higher for people asked in Liverpool while Sheffield and Nottingham were found to be providing the most inadequate sex education according to those surveyed. Whereas schools in Belfast and Edinburgh were found to be providing the best sex education.
Leah, an ex-pupil of Calderstones School, said her sex education “did not really exist.” As a result of this, Leah had to learn “through conversations with friends and family” as well as TV being “a big source of information about sex and relationships” for her.
The 26-year-old, who attended the school between 2008 - 2014, told the ECHO : “We were taught briefly about how to use contraception and would watch cartoon videos on what happens during sex and childbirth but there was no focus on healthy sexual relationships or STIs.
"I feel that it is crucial for sex education to be broadened - primarily so people can learn the dynamics of what a healthy sexual relationship looks like and to prevent them from, later down the line, being pressured into situations due to a lack of understanding.”
Molly, a female past pupil of Belvedere Academy, echoed a similar sentiment to Leah. She claimed her experience of sex education during her time at school was limited to a “one-off teaching session that predominantly revolved around learning how to put a condom on without in-depth insights into the importance of this to protect you from things like STIs”.
She added: “In my opinion, one-off teaching is just not enough and more needs to be done to educate young men and women about different types of contraception and STIs. I am now a local doctor in Liverpool and am continually asked questions by young people and adults about STIs that should have been taught in school.”
Since September 2020, Relationships Education has been compulsory for all pupils receiving primary education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) for all pupils receiving secondary education.
According to the government's website, for primary schools, this looks like subjects which focus on "putting in place the key building blocks of healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online". In secondary school, the teaching "builds on the knowledge acquired at primary and develops pupils’ understanding of health, with an increased focus on risk areas such as drugs and alcohol".
Superdrug's survey was conducted as part of a campaign which aims to break the taboo around STIs and help people openly discuss their experiences more. Out of those surveyed, 91% said that an STI diagnosis would negatively impact their mental health, relationships, social life, love life, confidence, and even their career.
John, a male pupil from Bluecoat School, Wavertree, who dubbed his teaching of sex education “extremely basic”, said: “There was a focus on emphasising safe sex, but with regards to STIs, there was a lot of information on how you contract them but none on how you treat them - I feel that this should have been a much more open and positive discussion. Overall, I don’t think anything glaring was missing but sex education could definitely have been more thorough.”
What did the schools have to say about their sex education?
Blue Coat School, Liverpool
“RSE is a vital part of our curriculum, and supporting our young people to develop positive, healthy and informed relationships is a responsibility we take very seriously. The reality is that there is not a one-size fits all approach to RSE, so we need to listen, support and create an environment where young people can explore issues that are important to them as much as follow more structured teaching plans. We actively encourage more informal discussion through form time and our strong pastoral care.”
Julie Taylor, Principal of The Belvedere Academy
“Belvedere Academy has long been committed to promoting healthy, consensual relationships and developing confident young people who are able to safely negotiate sexual relationships. From Year 7 onwards and through each year group we discuss RSE, within the context of consensual relationships, including what consent is and how it can be freely given.
"We discuss all types of relationships and different sexual identities, including different types of families. Consent, respect, and healthy relationships form the backbone of our programme, with topics such as coercion, sending nudes, marriage, civil partnerships, STIs, sexual harassment, pregnancy, and pleasure being framed within these core concepts and in an age-appropriate way."
Lee Ratcliffe, Headteacher of Calderstones School
"The curriculum plan on the school website demonstrates that the offer is fully compliant with the demands of the national curriculum and in fact, goes further than the national curriculum in terms of coverage.
"PSHE is taught as a timetabled weekly lesson at Calderstones. We have not received any complaints about this provision and would always be happy to consider and investigate if this were to be the case."
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