Sex education: the issues when working with boys.

Sex education is a contentious issue. Recently debates in the UK have tended to concentrate on the need to reduce teenage pregnancy rates and on the 'promotion of homosexuality'. This article examines the issues that need to be addressed if boys are to receive the sex education they require. These issues include the characteristics and gender of the teacher needed; methodologies to which boys will respond; the perception of boys as problems in school; the content of sex education programmes, the need for separate classes and the ongoing concern of boys' literacy standards. Added to these are issues such as homosexuality and pornography, areas which are avoided in many schools. The culture related to boys' attitudes to education in general and sex education in particular are examined. The author calls for a change in approach and attitude by government in order to achieve the desired lowering of teenage pregnancy rates and for the adoption of a more positive attitude to sex education by government, parents and teachers.