Special Needs Children Left Out Of Sex Education

It’s claimed children with learning difficulties across the North East are being denied sex and relationship education.

That’s according to Annalise Higgins from sex education provider Evaluate.

They teach children as young as eight about sex and relationships in the Tees Valley and in County Durham. However, Annalise tells us they’ve worked with teenagers in colleges, with learning difficulties, who have never been taught it before.

They’re fighting for sex education to be made compulsory and taught appropriately in all schools for all pupils.

Annalise tells us that children with learning difficulties are more likely to suffer abuse but many are leaving school without knowing how to spot the signs and risks.

She said:

“If nobody tells them how to stay safe, what signs to look out for and who to talk to then how are they going to do that?”

“Every child is different and every child matters. So we have to be able to adjust the way we work with children, the way that we deliver our session and the way that we respond based on the group that we’re faced with. That makes no difference whether we’re in a main stream school or whether we’re in a school for children with learning difficulties.”

“There has to be a sacrifice somewhere and there are so many teachers that recognise that the emotional health of a child or young person is so important but the money is tied to the core subjects. So it’s frustrating for teachers as much as it is for other people.”