The National Institute for Clinical Excellence–whose main role is to ration NHS drugs – is to write to every primary school telling it to start sex education when pupils are five. It will tell teachers that children should not be taught to say no to sex – but should learn about the value of "mutually rewarding sexual relationships"。

　　The 74-page document was produced on NICE's own initiative after it convened a panel of public health officials and representatives from family planning groups to produce guidance on reducing teenage pregnancy. NICE says that public health is part of its core remit and that cutting teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease would save the NHS money。

　　Sex education is not compulsory in English schools–and even where it is taught, parents have the right to take their children out of lessons. At present, the only part of sex education that is compulsory is the science element–the human reproductive system and how babies are made。

　　This is taught at secondary school. Guidance from the Department for Education suggests that from the ages of five to seven, children should learn the names of parts of the body, how people change as they get older, the difference between right and wrong, and that friends and family should care for one another。

　　Schools do not have to follow the sex education document–but it is the first ever comprehensive guide to what children should be taught produced by a Government department。

　　Recommendations from NICE include teaching children how to put a condom on and that excessive drinking can lead to sex. It advises schools to use social networking websites to get the sex message across and calls on teachers to offer children confidential sex advice if they need it–without their parents being told。

　　The report concludes that sex and relationships education is "more effective if it is introduced before young people first have sex". It says sex education – including information about sexually-transmitted infections, methods of contraception, pregnancy and abortion – can help children and teens delay sex until they are ready. "It does not cause them to have sex at an earlier age, or to have more sex, or sex with more partners, and nor does it increase the number of unwanted or teenage conceptions and abortions," the guidance says。

　　英国政府医疗监管机构昨日称，性教育需从五岁的娃娃抓起，顿时引起轩然大波。

　　英国国家临床医学技术研究院向来负责全国药物的配给，此次却开始着手一项让每一所小学都开设性教育的草案，而草案写着：性教育的起始年龄为五岁。据悉，该草案规定，让学生对性说“不”并不是教师的正确教育方法，教师真正要做的是让学生了解“相互有利的性关系”的价值。

　　该份长达74页的草案是研究院为了减少青少年怀孕而召集公共健康部门官员以及计划生育组织代表之后起草的。研究院称，公共健康领域是其核心职责，而减少青少年怀孕、防止性传播疾病，可以节约国民健康保险支出。

　　此前，英国学校的性教育可有可无——在实施性教育的学校里，父母有权不让孩子上性教育的相关课程。学生们被强制学习性知识是在学习自然科学的时候——人类生殖系统以及如何繁衍后代。学习这些知识是在中学阶段。而教育部则建议，儿童早在5岁至7岁这个阶段，就应该了解身体部位的名称，随年龄增长身体的发育状况，做什么是可以的什么是不可以的，以及朋友和家人之间应该互相关爱。

　　对于该草案，学校或许不必一定照做——但是该草案是有政府部分颁布的关于给学生教什么的最综合全面的草案。草案中不仅写明了要教学生如何使用安全套，还称过度饮酒可能导致性行为。草案还建议学校应该使用社交网站传播性知识，并号召教师们在学生需要的时候秘密给予性行为指导，且不让孩子父母知道。

　　报告结尾称，“如果年轻人在第一次发生性行为前”就接受了性教育“效果会更好”。报告还称，性传播疾病、避孕措施、怀孕与堕胎等知识可以帮助青少年延迟发生性行为。“该草案并不会让青少年过早发生性行为、也不会让他们与多个伴侣发生频繁性行为，更不会让青少年怀孕和堕胎数目增加，”草案称。