Sex Education in Secondary Schools

Citation

Tucker, J. (2002), "Sex Education in Secondary Schools", Health Education, Vol. 102 No. 1, pp. 39-40. https://doi.org/10.1108/he.2002.102.1.39.1

This book addresses the questions of what sex education is, how to tackle sex education in schools and how sex education fits into the community and into the health‐promoting school. As a secondary science student teacher I have found it to be an invaluable resource and both an enlightening and enjoyable read. Since health and sex education are still not fully considered within many PCE courses, I would recommend using this book as reference, inspiration and a source of knowledge, particularly on teachers’ legal liabilities and responsibilities. There will be something of interest here for everyone, from highly sensitive issues, such as abortion, to school policies and a full run‐through of the biology underlying the sex education.

The book is split into two main parts and each chapter considers a particular issue in depth, giving it the advantage of being a book that can be referred to if and when needed, rather than having to wade through text searching for a keyword or issue. The first half of the book opens up the whole idea of sex education and a context of ways to approach it in a variety of schools. Part 1 addresses areas such as the place of sex education in secondary schools; the role of the “health‐promoting school”; cultural, spiritual and moral links; emotional literacy; equal opportunity; legal liabilities; and finally some generic teaching strategies. Part II looks at the biological aspects of sex education and provides some fascinating facts and very useful figures and data. It is an excellent read, making science interesting and delivers the amazing “wow” factor, in an enthusiastic, easy‐to‐read manner. As a new science teacher I have learnt a vast variety of amazing facts and have been able to pinpoint where my own personal sex education at secondary school failed, and indeed areas that were not even tackled.

Throughout each chapter there are lists of activities, data and references. The activities provide ways of looking at issues in sex education in a different, more open and explorative way, tailored towards both new and experienced teachers. They are designed to allow you as the reader to become more aware, confident, understanding, and to appreciate different points of view, particularly giving an insight into special needs, social, cultural and moral views. The activities provide inspiration for how you could introduce, tackle or adapt sex education lessons, making them relevant, interesting, independent and thought provoking.

This well‐written book will be of interest to all teachers, not just science teachers, who have an interest in developing sex education programmes, who deliver PSHE or biology lessons, and are looking for inspiration or more independent learning strategies. It will also appeal to those that just have an interest in current thinking on sex education within schools today.