We ask a great deal of schools. When any social problem arises we will agree the solution lies in education, which usually means schools. Where sex is concerned, we need to ask much more of them.
Incidents such as the recent "Roast Busters" case show that sex education these days needs to be more than a component of the health and physical education curriculum. Children at puberty are being exposed to a sexual environment their parents hardly imagined at the same age. Today's music videos, internet porn and teenage social pressure can create unreal and damaging misconceptions of sexuality in an immature mind.
Schools need to put sex into a context of healthy relationships and mutual respect. Parents need to talk about it with their adolescent children in the same way, of course, but not all will manage to do it. We have to look to schools to ensure all youngsters are offered a healthy, non-threatening forum for discussion.
Some already do so, by subscribing to programmes such as the one offered by Rape Prevention Education. But overall, sexuality education is variable. Parliament's health select committee has described it as "fragmented" and "uneven". No wonder, since schools are obliged to consult parents about the nature of the programmes they offer.
