LEYTONSTONE: Parents concerned over sex ed for five-year-olds (From This Is Local London)

LEYTONSTONE: Parents concerned over sex ed for five-year-olds

8:46am Thursday 2nd April 2009 in News

CONCERNED parents are to hold a meeting on sex and relationship education (SRE) in the wake of the row over LGBT history lessons at George Tomlinson School.

Up to 30 pupils were removed from the school in February by parents who felt their children were “not ready to tackle such issues”.

And as the Government is to introduce compulsory SRE - including teaching on LGBT issues - for children aged five and up in 2010, parents at the school have decided to hold the meeting to “see what they can do”.

Samim Saleh, 34, who helped to organise the meeting, said: “We feel we’ve come to a dead end. We’re getting some advice as to what our next step should be.”

And although the meeting is to feature speakers from faith backgrounds, she stressed that parents’ concerns were not based on religious beliefs.

Mrs Saleh said: “Parents are not seeking to ban the teaching of the topic - simply asking for the choice of an opt out clause for those parents who feel this would be a subject better taught either by themselves or at a stage of development more suited to their child’s ablity to understand.

“This isn’t on religious grounds - we’re not like the Westboro Baptist Church. It’s about preserving children’s innocence.”

A lecturer in childcare, of Poppleton Road, Leytonstone, she added that she felt there had been “a lack of parental involvement or consultation provided by the school”.

The meeting is to be held on IMF Hall, Trinity Close, Leytonstone on Sunday April 5 from 3pm and parents and guardians with concerns on the teaching of SRE are invited to attend.