Poll finds support for sex education

SEVEN in 10 children in the south east of England think the government should ensure school lessons on sex and relationships, new figures reveal.

More than three quarters – 74 per cent – believe children would be safer if they had age-appropriate classes on the subject, says a new poll of 11-15 year olds for Barnardo’s.

The results support calls by the children’s charity for the government to introduce compulsory age-appropriate sex and relationships education through the Children and Social Work Bill.

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More than nine in 10 children surveyed online – 97 per cent – said it was important for them to understand the dangers of being online so they can stay safe. And 95 per cent said they wanted to know the risks of sharing images of themselves with a stranger online, according to the YouGov poll of nearly 1,000 youngsters.

Barnardo’s regional director, Jonathan Whalley, said: ‘Compulsory SRE lessons for all children must be introduced as soon as possible – it will help prevent children being groomed.’

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