Teenagers say they need more than just a cursory sex education

Flick Drummond, MP for Portsmouth South, heard from young people at a parliamentary event run by the Terrence Higgins Trust which is aiming to make the subject mandatory in schools.

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.

Mrs Drummond said: ‘It was fantastic to hear first-hand from young people visiting the House of Commons why we need compulsory sex and relationships education in all schools.

‘It’s really important that the next generation, who have access to a wealth of information on the internet, are prepared for the realities of the world today.

‘This includes teaching them about consent, LGBT relationships, STIs and HIV.

‘It’s not just reproduction and body parts.’

The trust has found that 75 per cent of young people were not taught about consent and 95 per cent were not taught about LGBT relationships.