Sex education to be banned for those under nine in England

Schools in England will be banned from teaching sex education and gender identity to children below nine under new government proposals.

It follows concerns over the content of lessons for primary age school children, an education ministry statement said.

"Parents rightly trust that when they send their children to school, they are kept safe and will not be exposed to disturbing content that is inappropriate for their age," it quoted Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as saying.

"That's why I was horrified to hear reports of this happening in our classrooms last year," he added.

In addition to a ban on sex education for under nines, the "contested theory of gender identity will not be taught," the ministry added.

The move follows a landmark review which last month urged "extreme caution" on prescribing masculinizing or feminizing hormone treatments for young people grappling with gender identity issues.

Agence France-Presse