"Miss, What is a Rocket Man?"

This story from The Telegraph highlights the problem with sex education in UK schools. Schools are beginning to touch upon areas with which parents have great concerns. Yet, the understandable concerns of parents that children are being introduced to issues of such an adult theme, when they are already growing up in a highly sexualised culture, are blithely ignored by schools who clearly deem themselves to 'know better'. Children are not adults and it is unfair to expect children to react to adult issues about sexuality without confusion and a sense of bewilderment. It is a grave offence to cause scandal to children and upset their innocence even in a World in which the culture and lifestyle of homosexuality is embraced as a part of the norm. Society has a duty to shield children from the adult world. The new consensus that 'anything goes' even if widely held by secular society should not be the world view given to children who are still in their formative years.

As Fr Ray Blake intimated in his blog, the very fact that children are raised in such a highly sexualised culture, through the mass media, or through even walking down a shopping centre high street, means that ignoring the simple truth of the matter that children are exposed to sexual imagery aurally and visually everyday, will not be of great help, because it is everywhere. We cannot wrap children in cotton wool and lock them in the house. However, 'sex and relationships education', if it must be discussed in primary schools, to children younger than before, who in days gone by were more protected by a society far less overtly sexual, then it must be discussed with the utmost prudence, care, sensitivity, discretion, wisdom and aim to ensure that little children are not scandalised. Clearly in more or less promoting homosexuality, the school described below, has failed in that mission.

Courtesy of The Telegraph

Children as young as four were among the pupils told about same sex relationships as part of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. During the talk children at Bromstone Primary in Broadstairs, Kent, were played music by Elton John and told he was homosexual. A string of parents have since complained their children were left "confused" and "worried" by the assembly.

Gemma Martin, 28, whose daughter Chloe, seven, and Danny, four, are both pupils, went on: "It's meant a number of girls are worried about being friends with each other. Little girls often cuddle each other if one of them is crying or has fallen over, and now they are afraid to do that in case the others think they are gay. I think kids as young as four don't need to know about that and it should be left to their parents to tell them when they think they're ready."

Michelle Cosgrove, 33, of Westgate-on-Sea, said a number of parents had felt the school had not listened to their complaints about the assembly, and they were treated as homophobic just for asking why they were not consulted.

Lorna Meloy, 38, added: "My nine-year-old daughter Melissa told me there was a photo of two men lying down together with their feet intertwined. I think for the older children they could understand as they tend to know about things already. But for my younger daughter Keira I think it was quite confusing."

Nigel Utton, the headmaster, said the assembly was about bullying in general and only contained a section about homophobia. He said it was part of a county-wide initiative encouraged by Kent County Council, and many parents had congratulated the school in tackling the issue in such a sensitive way. In a statement sent out to schools by the council education officer Lynne Miller said: "Young children are exposed at a very early age to homophobic language. Pupils may call each other 'gay' without really understanding what it means, but learn that it means something negative, useless, and not positive. If such usage is not challenged it makes it much more difficult to address homophobic bullying in secondary schools. Schools are well placed to explore different lifestyles as they are able to reach all children and young people and do this in a professional and evidence-based way and within a safe learning environment."

It has to be said, it seems as if children nowadays are being, 're-educated' to accepting a plethora of sexual activity as norms, even at the age of 5 and 6 years old. Parents concerns too are being over-ridden. This re-education is coming direct from the State itself and parental worries are unjustly dismissed as 'prejudice' and 'discrimination', instead of being based in a concern for the development of the child. It is reckless and insensitive to children and to parents.