Secondary school children in class (Image: Getty)
Miriam Cates has accused activists of “hijacking” the UK’s sex education curriculum to expose children to inappropriate material.
The former Tory MP, who has called for Relationships Health and Sex Education (RHSE) to be scrapped as a subject, called the lessons a “social experiment”.
Ms Cates said: “RSHE has been hijacked by activist groups to push a radical agenda of social change, taking advantage of teachers who have no academic credentials in this area.
“Worse, RSHE has been used as a vehicle to expose children to sexually explicit and age inappropriate material, often without parents’ knowledge.”
She added: “It’s time to end the social experiment of ‘sex and relationships’ lessons in schools.”
Since September 2020, relationships education has been compulsory for all pupils receiving primary education.
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While relationships and sex education for all pupils receiving secondary education.
Ms Cates, who lost her Red Wall seat of Penistone and Stocksbridge at the general election, said there was “no evidence” that RSHE is beneficial.
She believes schools should focus on teaching knowledge as opposed to “faddish ideologies”.
Ms Cates has previously given examples including dice showing body parts, used to prompt pupils to suggest different sexual positions, and youngsters being taught about “rough sex”, spanking and choking.
She said one parent in her former constituency had been “distraught” that her six-year-old had been taught about masturbation in school.
Former Prime Minister had brought forward a review of statutory RSHE guidance for schools in March last year after hearing concerns that children were being exposed to “inappropriate” content.
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The Government had said that clear age limits on the teaching of sex education aim to ensure children are not “exposed to too much too soon”.
Draft statutory guidance for England states that sex education should be taught no earlier than year five, when pupils are aged nine, and that what is described as the “contested topic of gender identity” should not be taught at all.
Speaking at a Fringe event during the Tory Party Conference, Ms Cates said the next Conservative leader must commit to repealing the Gender Recognition Act if the party wins power again.
She is not publicly backing any leadership candidate but did appear to criticise , saying she had “never heard [him] speak about this or take it seriously”.