The Big Question: How do schools teach children about sex, and does it need to change?

Why are we asking this now?

The Government has announced that children as young as five will receive sex and relationship education lessons under plans to cut teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Sex and relationship education will become compulsory for all five to 16-year-olds in English state schools under proposals expected to come into force in September 2010.

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But ministers are setting up a review of how best to introduce the new lessons, admitting that there are "complicated issues" around sex education.

What sparked the shake-up?

Britain has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe although the the trend has been falling over the past decade.

Government figures show an under-18 conception rate of 40.4 for each 1,000 girls, down from 46.6 in 1998. The 2006 conception rate for under-16s was 7.7 per 1,000, down from 8.8 in 1998. Meanwhile, sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia, genital warts and herpes, are on the increase among young people.

The overhaul of sex education also follows the publication of figures earlier this year showing that the number of abortions on girls under 16 last year rose 10 per cent to 4,376.

Ministers are concerned that there are some serious gaps in young people's education, especially about sex and relationships. A poll for the UK Youth Parliament found that four out of 10 young people said they received no relationship education at school and only one in four believed that the lessons they had received had been good. The Government argues that lessons are needed to help pupils cope with the dangers of modern life such as teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Jim Knight, the Schools minister, who led the review of sex education in English state schools, insisted exposure to sex education before puberty would reduce teenage pregnancy rates. The review of education about sex and relationships was ordered in December last year after ministers said teaching was "patchy".

What are children currently taught in English state schools?

There are currently few requirements for schools to teach sex education. At present, all primary and secondary pupils have to learn about the biology of reproduction in science. In primary schools, pupils should learn about the parts of the body and how animals and humans reproduce, but lessons can be restricted to the science curriculum.

Schools can also cover the subject in personal, social and health education, although it is not a compulsory part of the National Curriculum.

At secondary school, again mainly through science lessons, children cover the human reproductive cycle, including adolescence, fertilisation and foetal development.

They may also learn about relationship skills, rights and responsibilities and different types of relationships, as well as contraception, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and risky behaviour – although there is no legal requirement for schools to teach these.

What happens elsewhere in the UK?

In Wales, sex and relationship education is already part of the curriculum. Northern Ireland this year made relationships and sexuality education compulsory for school children from the age of five. There is no legal requirement for sex education lessons in Scotland.

What will the changes mean?

It will mean primary school children in England will learn about puberty and the facts of life from the age of seven. From the age of five, pupils will be taught about topics such as the parts of the body, relationships and the effects of drugs on the body.

As pupils progress through school they will be given detailed information about contraception and sexually transmitted infections as well as the risks of drug and alcohol misuse.

However, ministers have not yet given any detail of exactly what the compulsory personal, social and health education will involve.

They announced a review by a London headteacher, Sir Alasdair MacDonald, to investigate how best to introduce the new compulsory lessons while ensuring that they take schools' ethos and parents' values into account. Ministers also announced extra training for teachers, admitting that many staff felt too embarrassed to answer children's questions about sex.

What about faith schools?

Schools will not be allowed to opt-out of the rules but the Government is promising separate guidance to faith schools, which could find elements of the new curriculum at odds with their spiritual beliefs. Mr Knight, insisted that faith schools would still have to teach the new curriculum – which includes contraception, abortion and homosexuality – but will separately be allowed to continue to teach their religious beliefs about sex.

The exact details of the compulsory programme have yet to be drawn up but faith leaders have been reassured that these will not be so prescriptive as to conflict with the beliefs of the different faiths.

Mr Knight said there should be no conflict between faith leaders and the Government on the issue. He argued that he wanted all schools to teach children more about sex in the context of relationships, including marriage and civil partnerships, and to promote abstinence – which he said was exactly what faith leaders had been demanding.

Why is sex education such a controversial issue?

While there is broad agreement that urgent action must be taken to tackle the UK's abysmal record on teenage pregnancies, a bitter row has raged over how best to achieve this.

Sex education campaigners argue that good sex education, similar to that taught in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, is the only way to tackle spiralling sexually transmitted diseases and reduce the teenage pregnancy rate. However proponents of traditional family values protest that sex education has not worked and a new approach, which focuses on values rather than biology, is required.

Teachers' leaders are also unhappy about yesterday's announcement, arguing that the curriculum is already overloaded and that staff lack the time to introduce the new lessons.

Will all children have to take the new lessons?

Under existing legislation, parents have the right to withdraw their children from sex education lessons, except for those which form part of the National Curriculum – such as the biology of reproduction as covered in science lessons. Schools will not be able to opt-out of the new programme. Ministers plan to consult on whether parents should retain their opt-out.

Mr Knight said the Government was unlikely to scrap the parental opt-out. "There are some that argue having an opt-out for parents for the National Curriculum is difficult, but I think it is important that individual parents views are taken into account and their right to withdraw because of personal or moral views is respected," he said. "It's something it would take a lot for us to move away from."

Should children receive sexeducation from the age of five?

Yes...

* Drastic action is needed to tackle the UK's teenage pregnancy rates and the spread of STDs

* Children will be more likely to be misled by playground myths about sex if they are not given the facts

* Responsible sex education will boost children's knowledge so they can make informed decisions

No...

* Teaching pupils about sex could push youngsters to experiment with sex at an earlier age

* Parents should decide how their children learn about sex – not ministers

* Children should stay innocent as long as possible. The new lessons will only lead to the even earlier sexualisation of children