My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

At what age are children taught in school about how babies are made?

14 replies

PrettyCandles · 22/05/2008 13:55

I glanced at a KS2 workbook in the library the other day and saw that this topic is dealt with during KS2 - but when, exactly?

Ds1 is 7, and knows where babies grow and how they get out, but has never asked me how they get in in the first place! I'd rather I tell him before he learns about this in school, but I'd also rather wait until he asks me. So I need to know how much longer I've got.

OP posts:
Report
RosaLuxembourg · 22/05/2008 13:57

In our school they do a very comprehensive lesson in Year Five, and then repeat it in Year Six in case anyone has forgotten.

Report
avenanap · 22/05/2008 13:58

My ds is KS2 (he's 9), he's done nothing about reproduction at school. He does know though because he's asked me.

Report
amner · 22/05/2008 14:01

At my daughters school Year 6.

The school nurse took one lesson a week for a term for each class of 20 girls.

Highly embarassing according to DD

Actually not sure how good it was as one of her friends is still convinced that wearing a thong = just had sex

Report
seeker · 22/05/2008 14:08

Year 5 round here.

Report
titchy · 22/05/2008 14:08

RL - does ANYONE really forget between yrs 5 and 6??!!!!!

Report
Niecie · 22/05/2008 14:10

We've just had a letter home about that this term. In DS's school they are taught about biological reproduction in animals in Yr 3.

In Yr 4 they discuss 'loving and caring relationships that can create a baby, break-up and divorce.

Yr 5 they discuss puberty

Yr 6 they are taught 'Getting ready for change - emotional and physical, changing relationships and reproduction and childbirth ( in the context of science)

I have pretty much taken that off the letter word for word. They say it is a gradual progression but that schools are able to do pretty much what they like so long as they have a sex and relationship education curriculum.

Seems like a good way of teaching it to me. I suspect most of the children in Yr 3 will have got how animals reproduction applies to humans by the time they get to Yr 4 though.

Report
lilolilmanchester · 22/05/2008 14:27

end of yr 4 at our school - the full works.

Report
edam · 22/05/2008 14:28

lol at 'in case they forget'.

Report
RosaLuxembourg · 22/05/2008 14:48

No, they don't really forget, but I think they take different aspects of it on board the second time around. They follow a very comprehensive DVD which includes everything from puberty to childbirth and I think as they mature between Yr 5 and 6 they pick up on stuff that they didn't the first time round, especially as regards the emotional side of things.
The school invites parents in to see the video for themselves - I found it rather funny that no dads turned up only mums (and only about 20% of those!)

Report
cory · 22/05/2008 19:48

We had the letter home the other day- dd's in Yr 6- warning us that they are going to give lessons on sex education and that we need to be prepared for questions from our offspring.
-Do you have any questions, dd?

  • Yeah, what colour was the stork?
Report
Madsometimes · 23/05/2008 14:49

I bought my dd a book in year 3 because I wanted to tell her myself rather than hearing inaccurate stories in the playground. I think school covers it in year 5 or 6.

Report
Romy7 · 23/05/2008 16:53

intro in year 6, everything you wanted to know about... in year 7 here (including open discussions about sex and anonymous question forum where they write their q and teacher reads out and answers in class - v clever actually - everyone has to write something on a blank piece of paper and they are all taken in, so no-one knows who has asked a question and who writes 'rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb' - some v interesting q's as I'm sure you can imagine...)
oddly, it seems to be always the supply teacher that gets the job round here - last week she told me it had been a long time since she'd seen quite that many willies in quite so much detail...

Report
pointydog · 23/05/2008 17:06

in scotland, it's P6 (England's yr 5)

Report
justdidntthink · 23/05/2008 18:14

In the school where I work, it begins quite gently in year 3 and each year they learn a bit more until by year 6 they know everything 'they need to' and then some! The whole school have their sex ed at the same time, around now actually. They see some videos and have the chance to talkabout what they've seen and ask any questions. The year 5 girls also have 'THE TALK' by the school nurse re:periods etc. I think the videos and lesson plans we use are actually quite good and use language the kids understand. The year 6 ones are pretty graphic in their language but tbh, most of them hear that and worse in the playground or going round tescos!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.