Sex education in schools needs to be much better

Since 2012, schools have been required by the core objectives to pay attention to sexuality, including sexual diversity. However, schools are free to determine how they address this themselves, meaning that the amount of attention paid to these themes and the content of lessons varies from school to school and sometimes even from teacher to teacher. Comprehensive relationship and sex education makes relationships and sexuality open to discussion, promotes sexual health, helps prevent problems such as STIs, HIV and sexual transgression, and promotes understanding of diversity. Unfortunately, not every school pays structural attention to this yet.

Young people indicate that they are missing important information. They rate their sex education lessons with a 5.8 and would like more frequent, more extensive and more diverse information. In addition to the biological aspects, they want to address the pleasurable, social and relational aspects of sex. They also want more attention to sexual, gender and sex diversity, sex in the media, consent, and practising how to communicate and recognise each other’s wishes and boundaries.

Action points

The Manifesto identifies six action points:

1 Improve and make the core objectives more specific

The current core objectives are formulated so broadly and concisely that it is unclear to many schools what is expected of them. To support young people through a broad approach in developing positive, healthy relationships and sexuality, it is essential to work out relationships, (online) sexuality, sexual, gender and sex diversity, and sexual resilience in concrete terms in the core objectives. This applies to primary education, secondary education and (secondary) special education. The core objectives should also establish that all schools teach, promote and uphold a positive, non-negotiable social norm according to which everyone is accepted.

2 Include relationships and sexuality in the final attainment targets

At present, sex education is compulsory only in the lower years of secondary education, while half of young people do not have sexual intercourse until they are eighteen or older. Young people also want to talk about this with one another in the upper years, so that they can learn from each other in a safe environment. We therefore call on the government to include sex education, including sexual, gender and sex diversity, in the final attainment targets for the upper years of secondary education. This would ensure that students receive sex education throughout their entire secondary school career. Not only in biology, but also in social studies and citizenship education.

3 Provide an additional boost for senior secondary vocational education

Research shows that students in senior secondary vocational education are particularly vulnerable to relationship violence, unintended pregnancy, sexual transgression, STIs, HIV and negative reactions to their sexual identity. Structural sex education not only prepares young people for their own lives and futures, but also for their work as future professionals in, for example, education or healthcare. To make this possible, an additional government initiative is essential, and knowledge and skills relating to relationships and sexuality must be explicitly included in the citizenship mandate and qualification structure of senior secondary vocational education.

4 Focus on effective teaching methods

A one-off guest lesson on contraception or a classroom discussion about sexual diversity is not enough. To make a genuine and lasting contribution to sexually healthy and respectful behaviour, it is essential to work structurally on developing positive attitudes, (communication) skills and inclusive social norms. The best approach is to promote the use of existing effective and inclusive teaching methods within a continuous learning pathway, invest in renewing and implementing these methods, and explicitly include sex education in the school plan.

5 Improve tools for implementing and assessing social safety

The quality of assessment tools for social safety must be improved, with questions about relationships, respectful interaction regarding sexuality, resilience, sexual, gender and sex diversity, and the prevention of STIs, HIV and unintended pregnancies explicitly included. In the current approach, the picture of perceived safety at school is too limited, meaning that concrete policy is still too often absent in practice. The inspectorate must exercise stricter supervision in this area, or be able to do so. In addition, schools must be supported in developing and implementing a social safety policy that includes respectful interaction regarding sexuality and diversity, as well as a clear position for the confidential adviser in cases of transgressive behaviour and in policy advice.

6 Invest in professional development, training, further training and refresher courses

Teachers are crucial to high-quality education, a safe school culture and the promotion of positive social behaviour. The government must therefore invest in the professional development and pedagogical leadership of teachers. Extra attention should be paid to primary teacher training colleges and teacher training programmes by embedding themes such as relationships, (online) sexuality, resilience, and sexual, gender and sex diversity in the programmes, and by placing greater emphasis on competency-based education.

Image credit: Rutgers.