Sex Education

The guidance notes from the Education Act 1993 state that 'all pupils should be offered the opportunity of receiving a comprehensive, well planned, programme of sex education during their school careers, which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils'. It is within these parameters and those outlined by the L.E.A. that sex education is provided at Pensby High School for Girls.

The content is provided as part of the Biology and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) courses, sensitively and with careful regard to the level of maturity of the pupils, but it is important to realise that the overall ethos of the school contributes greatly to the pupils' development and self understanding.

The sex education taught within the PSHE course is delivered in pastoral groups, usually by the form tutor with a variety of strategies. Where appropriate, for example, when discussing contraception or HIV and AIDS, we invite specialists such as the qualified school nurse who attends the school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, or community nurses to help. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from any or all of the school's programme of sex education, other than those elements which are required by the National Curriculum Science Order. Such requests should be made to the Headteacher in writing.