A mother has asked for Sleep Beauty to be removed from the classes of younger children at her son's primary school as it promotes “inappropriate” sexual behaviour.

Sarah Hall, from Northumberland Park, near Newcastle, raised the issue after her six-year-old brought home a children's book version of the fairytale.

The mother-of-two said she was concerned about the message that the story, where a prince kisses Sleeping Beauty to wake her from her cursed slumber, sent younger children.

However she added that she felt the story should not be completely removed from the curriculum and could be used to start a conversation with older children around consent.

Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle, Ms Hall said: “I think it’s a specific issue in the Sleeping Beauty story about sexual behaviour and consent. It’s about saying is this still relevant, is it appropriate?”