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Abstract

The aims of this study were to explore adolescents' levels of knowledge on sexual health issues and their views on the sex education they receive as part of their compulsory education. Twenty students from two schools completed a short questionnaire and participated in a focus group discussion.

The students had an excellent level of knowledge about sexual health Issues, which contradicts Government views that ignorance is the key to adolescents' sexual health concerns (Social Exclusion Unit 1999). Participants felt their sex education was 'too little, too late' and that it should be taught by someone other than a teacher. Sex education should be introduced earlier in the curriculum as well as finding an acceptable 'teacher' if adolescent sexual health is to improve.

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Key words

* Adolescents

* Health promotion

* Sex education

Since the 19708 health education has gained importance in the general school curriculum. The Education Act of 1993 included a section entitled 'Sex Education in Schools' which set out legislative changes for implementation in UK schools. In 2001 a national strategy for sexual health and HIV was published that included targets for reducing teenage pregnancy rates by half by the year 2010 (DH 2001).

This strategy aimed to modernise sexual health services and improve the provision of accurate and effective sex education (DH 2001). It recognised that timing of sex education is almost as important as content: too early and it will be disregarded as irrelevant because sexual thoughts and feelings are not within the child's sphere of understanding (Arnold 2000); too late then the opportunity to educate and instil the responsibility and risks linked to sexual relationships has been missed. This article reports the findings of a survey to identify adolescents' views on when and how sexual health messages ought to be introduced to children.

Sex education in practice

Department for Education and Skills (DfES) guidance on the content and purpose of sex education does not specify which information is appropriate at each 'key stage', leaving content of these lessons open to interpretation by the teacher (DfES 2001). Adolescents could potentially complete their compulsory education having had some biological sex education but no teaching related to the life skills they require to embark on healthy sexual relationships.

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