Archbishop Beck's advice to heads on sex education

BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
A SCHOOL has a positive duty to supply children with the necessary facts on sex education when the parents fail to carry out their responsibilities in this vital matter, Archbishop Beck of Liverpool says in a special message to heads of schools in his archdiocese.
Acknowledging and emphasising that the sex education of children is primarily the right and duty of the parent, he advises that the B.B.C. sex education programmes which have been the subject of controversy among Liverpool heads
should not be used unless the heads have previously called a meeting 01 parents to explain what is being taught. He says the task of the school "when prudently undertaken. will not be opposed by those parents who have accepted and fulfilled their responsibilities in this matter, because the school will be helping to foster the Christian attitudes inculcated by the parents, "With regard to sex education in the primary school itself, it is clearly desirable that this should be a very gradual process and something which is integrated as far as possible into the normal education of the child. It is necessary that the teacher be aware of. and anticipate, the needs of the children in this particular matter.
TELL PARENTS FIRST "As far as the B.B.C. sex education programme concerned, it is well to note that the B.B.C. themselves would definitely advise !against the aids they supply if there is no programme of sex education already taking place in the school."
Archbishop Beck says priests, lay teachers and
Catholic Marriage Advisory Council officials had seen some of the B.B.C. programmes and seemed agreed that, if used in the way suggested by the B.B.C., the films were unobjectionable. "It should be emphasised that, in view of the publicity given to -this B.B.C. sex education programme, it should not be used in the school without first calling a meeting of the parents to explain to them and to discuss with them precisely what is to be done. "It will not be possible to use either the Radiovision or the TV films unless a complete sex education programme has already been worked out for the school. It may be that a number of schools will decide not to use the B.B,C. sex education programmes. "We must, therefore, be prepared to accept our own responsibilities in this matter of sex education. however unwelcome or difficult they may be. If a suitable and adequate programme is not yet being followed in your school, I would strongly recommend that a meeting with the parents and priests of the parish be arranged as soon as possible in, order to initiate such a programme."