Schools must not teach children about sex education or gender identity until they reach 13, government warns
14 May 2024, 23:41
Teachers must not have 'explicit' conversations with students about sex education until they have turned 13, the government has warned.
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Schools must also avoid having discussions with students about their gender identity until they are teenagers, minsters will warn on Thursday.
Ministers will argue that speaking with children about gender identity - which they see as a complex and constested issue - could have negative consequences later down the line.
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As a result, teachers will be told to avoid the subject all together, The Times reports.
Instead, students should only be taught about biological sex and no form of sex education should take place until children are aged nine and over.
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More detailed discussions surrounding sex education - including STIs and abortion - can then take place from Year 9, new guidance will suggest.
There should also be limits on conversations surrounding pornography, sexual violence and domestic abuse until the same period.
Rishi Sunak is reportedly concerned that conversations about gender identity have become 'embedded' within schools, despite the complexity of the issue.
