Kids know exactly how to avoid pregnancy and std's and if they say differently they're pulling your plonker. The problem lies with society and the careless use of sex in relationships. Young men continue to blackmail young women for sex. Everybody knows what goes on and nobody is interested in enabling young girls to have enough confidence to say no. Rape statistics say everything. If the right to say no was taken seriously, there would be an awful lot more men behind bars serving sentences for rape. Sex education cannot affect what happens outside of the school gates and that is where the problem lies. Current culture demands that women 'come across' on the first date.

Judy , Liverpool, england

I remember being at an all girls' school 7/8 years ago at the age of 14 being taught about STDs and how to use a condom. It made the majority of us feel like maybe we weren't as advanced as we should be... ie. we weren't having sex when maybe now was the time to start - we were being taught about it after all. That said, everyone already knew about STDs and where to buy condoms and well - the instructions are on the packet.

It's a tricky subject. On the one hand, those who are educated at home or leave it until they're more mature to start having sex don't really need these lessons - they're already informed. On the other hand, there are plenty of teenagers (there were in my class too as I recall) who start having sex before then and find the classes laughable so don't really listen - it was just a one hour a week excuse to do no 'real work'. And pregnancy isn't a worry because as they all knew - there's always the morning after pill or an abortion

Louise, London, UK

The 'sex-educationists' roll out the same old propaganda again and again and again - MORE SEX EDUCATION FOR OUR YOUNGSTERS!!! Surely after 40+ years of failed sex education policies in our schools, the time has come to stop this abuse of our children.

Now to say that we need even more sex education for our kids and to start teaching them at an earlier age (funny I thought sex below the age of sixteen was a crime) is to ignore the lessons of the last 40 years and our current record as the West's 'capital' for underage sex and teen pregnancies. It's the same as screaming 'the fire's out of control, so let's pour petrol on it to put it out!'.

Take a lesson from countries who are introducing 'say no' policies into schools and teaching our children about modesty, respect for themselves and each other. Teach them about the dignity of life and that they are valued human beings. All we do is sell our youngsters short - they are capable of better things than we credit them for.

Jerzy B Gawor, London, UK

Are schools to be held responsible for every shortcoming in the Education of our young?Surely parents should have the major say in their childrens Personal Development educatiion - if not then put health professionals such as nurses into every school to run this very commendable activity.
As one who has attempted to teach Sex Ed./PD/Human Relationships i know there will be fewer double entendres and continuous interjections if taught by health professionals and hence a better chance that the students will actually retain some information from the lessons

Eddie, Logan City, Qld.Australia

I've never been told how to use a condom, but some of the other classes in my year were. That makes me think that some teachers aren't even aware of what they're meant to be teaching.

We were all told about the basics of safe sex, but there was this general attitude from the teachers that "if you use contraception you'll be safe" which anyone with a half a brain knows isn't true.

We also didn't get the nitty gritty (which was still kinda basic) until I was in 5th year which is stupid as most of my year had been over the legal age limit for some time.

Morag, UK,

There is a lot of good sex and relationships teaching going on in schools. Often the teachers and other professionals have their hands tied about what they can teach by the governors and parents.
It would be of interest to look at the programme provided to this 20,000 young people to look at what was being taught, not just their recollection of it. Also, 20,000 is a very small number of the total teenage population of the UK, I do not think you can view this as a necessarily representative sample of the National Sex and Relationships teaching being provided both in school and in the wider community.
Yes, the UK still has a long way to go in comparison to other Western nations in reducing teenage pregnancy rates and STI's. If you compare the ages at which the education starts however there are clear disparities, sex ed is more graphic and begins much earlier than in this country. I can just hear the outcry if sex and relationships education was proposed to begin at 9 years old here!

Fiona, Worthing, West Sussex

Teenagers are invincible, they are immortal. Many young people have an inherrent belief they'll get away with it - until they don't and then they are more careful.Hmmm, how to reach their core beliefs before it gets that far...? Couldn't some A, B, C, D celebrities, male and female, run to the tabloids with their tales of woe?Not as interesting as their tales of wild sex I'll admit. You can blame the parents but they may have no idea what their offspring is up to. A teenager is also programmed to be economical with the truth. They listen to their peers.

nathalie, london,

"research published today highlights the longstanding failure of schools"

So what you're saying is that ten years after "Education, Education, Education" was the mantra of the incoming government, nothing has changed apart from huge increases in taxes injected into an unreformed and failing system.

MarkS, Leeds,

I don't suppose that anyone has thought about teaching the word NO, or that there is no such thing as safe sex except in the context of a lifelong faithful marriage.

Peter, Torquay, UK

It wasn't any better when I was at school in the early 80's. We were taught at 13 what sexually transmitted diseases we could catch, but at the time hardly anyone was having sex, so non of it seemed particularly relevent. I know it might be different today (with more early sexual activitiy), but surely just handing responsibility to schools is not enough. It should be on ongoing thing, with sexual health workings visiting clubs etc (places where people are likely to pick up partners) and putting notices on toilet doors etc with telephone numbers of STI clinics and symptoms of diseases. And shouldn't the parents take some responsibility for all this?

Anne, coventry,

I am afraid children need to be taught respect for each other and self control. Also the consequences of their actions hold no fear for them.

yvonne, Isle of Man,

The number of times these "backlashes" have come from sex education "experts" and the increase in funding for sex education from the govt itself, you would think everything would be hunky dory by now! But every 3 months what we have is another report like this.

Maybe the truth is just that this system just doesn't work - this sort of sex ed which says "have sex but just make sure you dont get pregnant" and maybe these sex education "experts" who shout down every form of morality feel that if they get their voice in first and loud enough before the rest start saying its not working, they can get someone else's fingerprints on the knife and get continued funding for their soddy ideas!

Why not start telling youngsters the way to go is to abstain till they are married or *atleast* much much older? Approaching from a point of view which says they cant control themselves is just a plain insult to them. And does them no good either.

Leo, London, UK

This article does not surprise me in the slightest. I’m 20 years old, attended a catholic school and do not remember having any sex education lessons at all. (Incidentally, I was never told about it at home either.) My friends who I have asked that attended non-religious schools remember having 1 or 2 lessons that only covered puberty, so not actual sex education. Unsurprising then that the area where I live has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in the country. If kids are not taught about it properly then sadly nothing will improve.

K, Durham,

This article does not surprise me in the slightest. I’m 20 years old, attended a catholic school and do not remember having any sex education lessons at all. (Incidentally, I was never told about it at home either.) My friends who I have spoken to about this that attended non-religious schools remember having 1 or 2 lessons that only covered puberty, so not actual sex education. Unsurprising then that the area where I live has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in the country. If kids are not taught about it properly then sadly nothing will improve.

K, County Durham,

It's not a new phenomenon: I am 21 and was never shown how to put on a condom at school. It was maybe lucky that I was considered a "swot" and so never had a boyfriend until this last year - he is older than me and was horrified that I had never been shown how to use a condom. Some classes were taught... I was unlucky enough to have a religious RE teacher as my form tutor for years 7 and 8, and PSHE in the following years was all about drugs and alcohol.

I do agree, however, that something has to be done about the "baby = flat" culture so prevalent amongst the growing numbers of "chav" kids.

I propose a new rule: no flats/houses for pregnant teens. Give them to students who get straight As and give them tuition in finance, DIY, etc.

Cut all benefits for both by £10 for every year under 18 the youngest 'parent' is at conception, effective for the rest of their lives.

This might encourage teens to go in the right direction - nothing is cooler than moving out of the parental home!

Katie, Blackpool, UK

Interesting to see the view of adults being posted, versus the views of young people that the survey revealed. Given that you are not in school right now, I suspect the young people's assessment of their teaching is more accurate! I remember sex education at my school, some dozen years ago, was appalling so I'm not surprised by these findings. We were also taught far too late.

However, the key is RELATIONSHIP education. There is no point telling kids to use condoms if you don't teach the girls effective negotiation techniques and raise their self-esteem so they are equipped to say 'if you don't wear it, I'm not doing it'. It's easy to criticise, but when you're inexperienced and have strong feelings for someone, how do you find the strength to enforce condom use if the adults who are supposed to prepare you for life don't say 'boys will try to use this excuse' or 'this is what you can say'. It's more difficult than we think if one person in the relationship has the power.

Alison, London,

Given the attitude to education of many kids these numbers are not surprising; it's not that they weren't taught, it's that they've forgotten or never bothered to turn up for the lessons.
Several subjects cover issues such as abortion, contraception, STDs in an academic way, whilst PHSE does introduce kids to the basic ideas of "safe sex".
The problem to examine is why many of them are apathetic to contraception and don't see any reason not to get pregnant at 15.
Let's stop blaming the teachers, eh?

David, Norwich,

Perhaps if they were taught some morality instead it wouldn't be a problem?

Steve, London, UK

"More than half (55 per cent) of all 12 to 15-year-olds, and 57 per cent of girls between the ages of 16 to 17 had not been taught how to use a condom"
Does that mean that 2% of the 16-17 year olds had forgotten they had been taught?

Andy, Shanghai,