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17.02.2006

On Tuesday 14 February 2006, the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) launched a petition calling for the Government to ensure that every young person receives Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) within personal social and health education (PSHE) by making it a compulsory part of the national curriculum.

The demand for improved SRE in schools has been on-going by the UK Youth Parliament for the last five years.  MYPs (Members of the Youth Parliament) have repeatedly questioned Government why it is that some young people can receive detailed and informative SRE within their school timetable, whilst others receive the bare facts.  Ministers have promised to look into the situation, but no action has been taken and UKYP wants to ensure that all young people receive comprehensive SRE relevant to their age and gender.

Janneke Dobben, MYP for Norfolk said, “It is shame that the Government has not listened to young people sooner on this issue, whilst the occurrence of teenage pregnancies and STIs have been on the increase.  MYPs hope that this petition will bring about a much needed change in the Government’s attitude towards SRE, from which young peoples’ sexual health in the future will benefit.”

In a move backed by the Sex Education Forum and Brook, UKYP hopes to collect the signatures of 10,000 young people from across the country to present to Downing Street on Thursday 16 March 2006, which it hopes will be followed by a meeting with Ministers from the Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills to discuss the current situation.

Jan Barlow, Chief Executive of Brook, the sexual health charity for young people, said in support of UKYP’s campaign, “Young people have been saying for a long time that the sex and relationships education (SRE) they receive at school is inadequate.  All young people need the facts about sex so that they can make informed decisions and protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections when they become sexually active.  They also need the opportunity to talk about the emotional side of relationships and to develop the communication and negotiation skills that will help them build healthy relationships and resist pressure to have unwanted sex.  That’s why it’s so important that SRE should become a compulsory part of the national curriculum.”

“A recent opinion poll carried out for Brook found overwhelming public support for better SRE in schools: 94% agreed that sex and relationships education should cover the emotional as well as the sexual aspects of relationships; and 86% agreed that every young person should receive sex and relationships education in school as a compulsory part of the national curriculum.”

Click here to download the Sex and Relationship Education Petition Form

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For more information about the petition, UKYP’s SRE Campaign or the UK Youth Parliament in general, please contact Kate Parish, UKYP Development Co-ordinator on 01252 844241 or email kate.parish@ukyouthparliament.org.uk

The Sex Education Forum is the national authority on Sex and Relationships Education (SRE). Established in 1987, it is a unique collaboration of 48 organisations.  The Forum aims to ensure that all children and young people receive their entitlement to good quality SRE, in a variety of settings.  For further information visit www.ncb.org.uk/sef.

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