NORTH East Hampshire MP Ranil Jayawardena has hit out at suggestions that primary schools could make sex education compulsory.

At present, local authority maintained secondary schools, including secondary academies and free schools are expected to teach sex education, however, it is up to teachers to decide what is appropriate to be taught in primary schools.

Mr Jayawardena hit out at the number of shocking materials currently used in a number of primary schools: “Some of the material used to ‘educate’ children as young as five is deeply shocking. I am sorry to say that some local authorities recommend material that is totally unsuitable and explicit for children. This is a disgrace.”

Groups such as the Sex Education Forum currently demand that sex education be made a statutory subject for primary schools, however Mr Jayawardena believes it is key that the good judgement of teachers prevails and that young children are not subjected to sexually explicit material as depicted in a number of materials currently used in primary schools.

With growing alarms about the sexualisation of children, a national curriculum for sex education would see control taken away from parents, teachers and school governors and Mr Jayawardena said he has taken action to try and put a halt to this possibility with a letter to Education Secretary MP Justine Greening.

“The increased sexualisation of children is being combated through the Government’s Digital Economy Bill, but more needs to be done to stop children as young as five being ‘educated’ with sexually explicit content.

“I have written to the Education Secretary, urging her not to make sex education compulsory for children in primary schools.”