Time to overhaul sex education, says Nice

Children should be given lessons in friendship and relationships from the age of five, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends.

And good quality classes on sex, relationships and alcohol help teenagers understand the risks and consequences of their actions and resist peer pressure, Nice says. Primary school pupils could start by learning about friendship and respecting others.

In draft guidance published today, Nice says that sex and relationships education was "more effective if it is introduced before young people first have sex" and says pupils should be given sex education classes from primary school to early adulthood.

It calls for children to be given lessons which are "factually accurate, unbiased and non-judgmental", tailored to each age group, and take into account "cultural, faith and family" issues.

Ministers are looking at sex and relationships education as part of a wider overhaul of the curriculum, the Department for Education commented.