SEX AT 13 ‘IS NORMAL’
A pressure group has claimed that guidance around sex and relationships education suggests that sex at 13 is ‘normal’. Sarah Carter, from the Family Education Trust, told a group of MPs that the ‘traffic light tool’ used in some schools was ‘unlawful’. Ms Carter said the tool suggested underage sexual activity was ‘normal behaviour and development’.
Chief executive of the PSHE Association, Joe Hayman, responded by saying: ‘We’ve got to deal with children’s realities. There’s no one in our community who feels we should be trying to sexualise children…What we want is children to develop healthy and safe relationships.’
‘We are spending far more money on locking our young people up and dealing with the consequences than in attempting to work with young people before they get to this point. Early intervention is not only beneficial to our society as a whole, but it actually saves the government money.’
CEO OF XLP, PATRICK REGAN OBE, FOLLOWING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND COURTS BILL. THE BILL INTRODUCED MANDATORY TWO-YEAR SENTENCES FOR A SECOND KNIFE OFFENCE AND SIX MONTHS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
BORIS CUTS FUNDING
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, could cut 90 per cent of funding for schemes that are aimed at some of the capital’s most deprived and vulnerable young people. The cuts would affect funding currently used in mentoring, volunteering, supplementary schooling and services for young people excluded from schools, according to documents seen by The Guardian.
An internal briefing from the Greater London Authority warned of the possible social impact: ‘Decreasing our funding has a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable groups of young people. There remains a need to invest in education and youth. There are low numbers of apprenticeships, high numbers of children are living in poverty and specialised support is required to improve the attainment of the most vulnerable groups.’
RELIGIOUS STUDIES SHAKE-UP
A proposal from the Department for Education will involve an update to the Religious Studies curriculum. The change in criteria for Religious Studies GCSEs will force students to study two religions for the first time.
YOUNG PEOPLE SLEEPING ROUGH
Centrepoint also said that the number of young people sleeping rough in London has doubled since 2011. Centrepoint’s director of policy, Balbir Chatrik, said: ‘One in five young people is a lot, sleeping on the streets, night buses, or cars – wherever they think they are safe. But it isn’t safe.’
SOULNET RETREAT
