Sophie Walker: We need compulsory sex education more than ever before – no more delays This week thousands of children go back to school to pick up their learning. They return to very different standards […]

This week thousands of children go back to school to pick up their learning. They return to very different standards of local provision. And some of the biggest variations exist in the most challenging subject – learning about sex and relationships. They will recommence their navigation of both social media and school canteen banter about their bodies and their choices in the same way they always have: alone and unsupported.

It’s staggering that we still do not have compulsory sex and relationship education in schools – not least when so many have worked for so long to show the disastrous impact of a system that fails to teach basic lessons about consent and respect.

Let’s banish any talk of keeping girls “safe” and suggestions they must adapt their behaviour to avoid provocation. (Yes, this is still being taught) i's opinion newsletter: talking points from today Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

At the last general election in 2015, the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) coalition asked all political parties to make it happen. In 2016, with still no movement, the Women and Equalities Committee reported that six out of 10 girls and women aged 13 to 21 had faced sexual harassment at school or college in the last year. Last week, 2017 kicked off with a report showing children as young as eight being left to fend for themselves in the digital world.

Different parties are agreeing more than ever

The Women’s Equality Party launched with the express purpose of prioritising policy that addressed discrimination against women and girls; to give voters a clear alternative to the parties that fudged and bodged and hummed and haaa-ed. Mandatory sex and relationships education (SRE) has been one of our core policy goals from day one: to include, crucially, discussion and understanding of online harassment and pornography. Current guidance on both of these issues – which are central to much of the harassment and violence carried out in schools – is woefully out of date.

There must be no opt-out for faith schools, free schools or academies

Cross-party agreement on SRE has grown in the 18 months of this party’s existence. I like to think having Britain’s first feminist political party in the field might have pushed it along. Last October at a Parliamentary panel debate organised by the Family Planning Association and Brooke, Conservative MP Maria Miller, Labour MP Cat Smith, and I found ourselves in broad agreement. Then the week before Christmas brought news reports the government was considering an amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill which would require all state schools in England and Wales to teach SRE.

This week Parliament comes back to start work again and we will learn the details of that proposal. A simple standalone unresourced SRE requirement will not do; neither will making it a part of the school curriculum without assigning funding for specialist services and teacher training.

Lessons must tackle sexism

We must move beyond basic biology now to a gender-specific approach that recognises and tackles harmful sexist attitudes absorbed by young men via media and pornography; that banishes any talk of keeping girls “safe” and suggestions they must adapt their behaviour to avoid provocation. (Yes, this is still being taught.)

Peer-to-peer and parent involvement is important. There must be no opt-out for faith schools, free schools or academies. Expert organisations, including those led by young people, must have a role in designing and assessing the curricula for SRE so that it keeps pace with the challenges facing young girls and boys.

And while we’re at it, here’s an opportunity to tighten up school safeguarding policies and write a comprehensive framework for linking to social services. As the parent of a school-age child with a disability I have seen what happens when provision of a particular need is left to happen without adequate teacher training or a joined up approach to local children’s health and social services.

The time is now

Such a wish-list will prompt calls for more time. We don’t have it. The need is urgent and the government should aim to have a plan in place by the end of the school year, with provision for regular updates that reflect the speed of current advances in digital communication and media.

This year presents many challenges, from national to global political upheaval and change. Societies are rethinking the way we interact with one another. Equal opportunities and anti-discrimination measures are being called into question by an emboldened right-wing populist surge.

Now more than ever it is essential that we support the next generation to build respectful relationships. Our children are floundering and hurting while we look on. Provision of SRE can protect their basic human rights.

Sophie Walker is leader of the Women’s Equality Party