A father in the UK has decided to remove his daughter from the primary school she was attending due to the sex education she was receiving. After weeks of being denied access, Michael Doherty, a 50-year-old resident of Suffolk, was finally granted the opportunity to view the teaching materials meant for his nine-year-old daughter at Thurston Primary School. To his surprise, what he saw left him in shock.
Advertisement
These sex education classes were instated three years ago, and it has been revealed that children as young as nine are being subject to rather graphic materials. These teaching materials are mandatory in schools across the UK. The lesson plans which were recently withheld indicate that children are being taught about orgasms and even anal sex in the fourth grade, including his daughter Sofia.
DailyMail
When objecting to the sex education system, he was told that his religious stance did not matter. He was not to withdraw his daughter ‘because it is important that all children receive this content. Covering topics such as friendships and how to stay safe’.
According to documents seen, the school justified its secretive approach by claiming that the Covid pandemic prevented them from sharing specific teacher materials with parents. However, they assured Mr. Doherty that they had consulted the parents during this time.
Adding to the concern, the headteacher’s letter to Mr. Doherty asserted that the school followed a national curriculum for PSHE relationships. But, in reality, no such national curriculum exists for this purpose.
Feeling excluded from the decision-making process, Mr. Doherty expressed his frustration. Believing that parents should be consulted on such sensitive matters. He perceived the school’s response as hostile and belittling, making him feel overly conservative.
Nonetheless, Mr. Doherty firmly believed in the importance of speaking up for parental rights and the well-being of the children involved. “I feel as a parent they were quite hostile to me. You’re treated like some sort of prude. But I think you need to speak up.” He continued.
It doesn’t stop there
r. Doherty raised a serious objection when he learned that his daughter was shown a BBC Bitesize video. One depicted a boy experiencing a wet dream, getting an erection, and ejaculating. He found this content highly inappropriate for his daughter’s age and felt it unsuitable for children in her year group.
Upon filing a complaint with the BBC about the video, they took action and removed it from their website. However, when Mr. Doherty discussed the matter with his daughter’s RSE teacher, the teacher denied that the video had any sexual nature—claiming that his daughter’s year group was not being taught sex education.
This response further intensified Mr. Doherty’s concerns. As he believed the video’s content clearly fell under the category of sex education and should not have been presented to his daughter’s class, especially without proper consideration and parental consent. The situation highlighted the need for clear communication and transparency between schools and parents regarding sensitive topics like sex education.
