NICE calls for better education on sex and alcohol in schools

All children should receive high quality education about sex, relationships, and alcohol from primary school onwards, according to draft public health guidance.

A programme of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education delivered by trained teachers will help children evaluate risk, enable them to recognise and avoid abuse, and equip them with the confidence to make healthy and safe choices, says draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

The guidance recommends that schools involve parents when developing policies on social and health issues. It adds that parents should be reassured that sex education does not increase the likelihood that children …