STIs and crisp-packet contraception: what I learned from talking about sex in schools

Everyone has a story about crap sex education. My own consisted of a single afternoon in primary school, where a shame-faced stranger haltingly warned us about our impending wet dreams in such abstract terms that she may as well have been explaining quantum chromodynamics. That was all we got. It’s a wonder we are not all dead.

So the news that sex and relationship education will soon be compulsory in British secondary schools, with children from four years old upwards receiving lessons in relationships, should be widely celebrated. I left school two decades ago and, despite spending a solid month on the subject, I am yet to encounter a situation where I have needed to know what an oxbow lake is. Meanwhile, had my school put the same effort into sex and relationships, I guarantee that I would still be using those lessons to this day.

Leaving youngsters to figure out how sex works for themselves is the very definition of madness. For a few years, I was heavily involved with World Contraception Day, and I got to see first-hand what happens when kids have to form their own ideas about sex. The misinformation I encountered was catastrophic. I met kids who did not think you could get pregnant if you did it standing up, and kids who thought the pill protected you against STIs. There were kids who believed that post-coitally rinsing yourself out with Coca-Cola was an effective form of contraception. On one particularly bleak morning in Maidstone, I found myself arguing with a teenager who maintained that, in an emergency, an empty crisp packet would be a fine alternative to a condom.

Sure, you could argue that this ruling has come a little late, since rates of teenage pregnancies in this country have now reached the lowest point since records began. And, yes, in a balanced and sensible world this would not be necessary because parents would have already fully equipped their children to learn the importance of healthy relationships.

But still, it is vitally important. The internet has meant that, without schools stepping in to lead the way, there is a real danger that kids will educate themselves about sex with pornography. After all, no generation has ever had such easy access to porn. When I was a kid, if we wanted to look at porn we had to scour local woodlands for miraculously discarded carrier bags full of year-old Razzles. I shudder to think of the ideas we would have formed if we could have just hopped on the internet. No wonder 75% of British people want to see sex and relationship education address the harmful effects of online porn and sexting.

We have known for years that teens are more responsible in their attitudes towards sex if they are given a proper educational grounding first. And, at last, that is what they are going to get. Even if it dents the sales of fizzy drinks and crisps a little, that has to be a good thing.

STIs and crisp-packet contraception: what I learned from talking about sex in schools

Give young people and gay men free condoms to reduce STIs, watchdog says

Local authorities should run schemes to supply young people with free condoms and sex advice in an attempt to curtail the number of sexually transmitted infections, a health watchdog body has said.

They should also consider giving free condoms to gay men, among whom the increase in infections such as HIV and gonorrhoea is of serious concern.

The draft guidance from Nice, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, has opened for consultation two days after NHS England lost a high court battle brought by Aids campaigners who want it to pay for drugs to prevent gay men who do not use condoms becoming infected with HIV.

NHS England has said it will appeal, but if it loses it will weigh up the value of the drug, Truvada, which costs about £5,000 a year per person, against treatments needed for other groups, including children with cystic fibrosis.

Related: NHS England reconsiders decision over HIV PrEP drug

Nice says condoms need to be more widely accessible to prevent sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, particularly by the 16-24 age group and men who have sex with men. They should be free for those most at risk.

It comes amid concern that the use of condoms is primarily motivated by birth control, rather than their ability to prevent the spread of infections, and are therefore substituted with other forms of stopping pregnancy that do not offer the same protection against STIs.

Approximately 435,000 STIs were diagnosed in England in 2015, including 200,000 cases of chlamydia, says Nice. Syphilis and gonorrhoea rates have risen by 76% and 53% respectively between 2012 and 2015. The Family Planning Association (FPA) has estimated that the cost to the NHS of treating STIs was £620m in 2014. Nearly 4,000 people are infected with HIV in England every year. The lifelong treatment they require costs an average of £380,000.

“We know condoms can protect against many sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis,” said Christine Carson, programme director of the centre for guidelines at Nice. “The recent increase in rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis among men who have sex with men has been attributed to high levels of sex without using a condom.

“If local authorities and other commissioners can work together to increase condom availability and use among high-risk groups we could significantly reduce the rates of STIs.”

Nice recommends more condom schemes should be set up by local authorities targeted at young people, based on existing models that offer a free supply but tied to sexual advice and counselling. The most common such scheme is the C-card, the most successful of which allows young people to obtain free condoms once they have been through an information and advice session with a trained counsellor.

The FPA said getting condoms to young people was key to tackling STIs. “However, as well as making condoms more easily and widely available, it’s also really important to back that up with education and support and to think about what barriers may exist to people actually choosing to use them,” said chief executive Natika H Halil.

“This should start with statutory sex and relationships education in schools so young people are equipped with the skills and confidence they need to have those important conversations about safer sex with partners.”

Halil added: “Condoms are already available for free in some places but there are always opportunities to reach more people, including in non-traditional health settings.

“It’s also important to reiterate the fact that condoms protect against both unplanned pregnancy and STIs, so even if you are using another method of contraception and don’t think about using condoms, you may be at risk of infection.”

Give young people and gay men free condoms to reduce STIs, watchdog says