The reality of society today is that children are introduced to sexual imagery - and having sexual experiences - at a much younger age than even 10 years ago. Parents can protect their children to a degree, but to ignore sex and dismiss it with an outdated ‘age of innocence’ argument is a foolish reaction. The earlier we educate our children, within a positive and supportive climate, about sexuality and gender, the better. This will only happen if the next government makes it compulsory in schools. Under current rules, local council-run secondary schools are obliged to provide only basic sex education, including subjects such as Sexual Transmitted Diseases, with no emphasis on a particular gender.