The introduction of legislation requiring ‘relationships education’ for all children of compulsory school age has captured the attention of many. Explicit relationship and sex education is reserved for children of secondary-school age (until this time it has not been mandatory). Sex education has been criticised for not keeping up with modern life, and this provides an important opportunity to tackle the impact of social media and, for older children, issues such as consent. This also means children from the age of four, in schools, will receive ‘age appropriate’ sex education.
While the legislation was being debated, I was invited to participate in an exploration of findings from a research study at the University of East Anglia on the experiences of young people where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues were significant. Apart from an experienced group of researchers, a number of young people were appointed as researchers to the team. Each gave an account of their experiences prior to while they were in care and after.
I was reminded that while issues of sexual and gender identity tend to emerge at puberty and the arrival of hormonal drivers, for some the process can start in the early years. Most children become explicitly identified with their gender by age two and this shows itself through dress, play, choice of friends, but we are also aware of children where this is not so, such as the ‘tomboy’. For parents this can be a source of anxiety.
We all need to listen, to learn and to enable based on what children say, how they behave and what they show us. These are the foundations of becoming an individual in a relational world, and building these is a fundamental contribution that early years education makes.
- Relationships and Sex education is an amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill, which is going through its final stages in Parliament.
- For a profile of an ‘LGBT nursery’, see Nursery Management, spring 2017
John Simmonds is director of policy, research and development at CoramBAAF