low graphics version | feedback | help
| Front Page World UK UK Politics Business Sci/Tech Health |
| Education |
|
Features How the Education Systems Work |
| Sport Entertainment Talking Point In Depth AudioVideo |
School in contraception advice row
The school says some young pupils did not know what the morning after pill was |
A row has broken out after leaflets containing advice on how to obtain the morning-after pill during the Christmas and millennium holiday were handed out to pupils at a Roman Catholic school girls' school.
The NHS leaflets were sent to the Holy Cross Convent School in New Malden, Surrey, for pupils to take home to their parents.
The leaflets, called "We're working for a safe millennium holiday", tell people how to obtain a range of medical services over the holiday period.
They were given to some pupils at the school before staff realised they contained advice on contraception, including a reminder to people to check they had enough contraceptive pills or condoms.
The school, which has pupils aged 11 to 18, immediately withdrew the leaflets, and stopped them from being distributed to the rest of its pupils, but says it is furious that it was sent them in the first place.
Head teacher Mary Watson said the leaflets seemed to be encouraging young people to have sex, and went against the school's sex education policy.
Some girls received leaflets before the school realised what was in them |
It has denied they contain anything which would encourage young people to have sex.
Mrs Watson said the leaflets had been delivered to the school office, and had been put into registers for distribution.
None of the school's younger pupils, aged between 11-13, had been given the leaflets, but some older pupils had received them before the content was discovered.
The school had written to parents to apologise for the incident.
"Our school office is very efficient. The leaflet was from the NHS, a reputable source, and seemed to be a good document," Mrs Watson said.
"I did not like the tone and nature of the advice on contraception. It intervenes between parents and children, and encourages sex without love. It seems the permissive society has changed into the "go and do it " society.
"We are not fuddy-duddy, neurotic Catholics, but we are Catholics. For pupils as young as 11 to learn about the morning-after pill in this way is absolutely outrageous.
"The millennium is about the birth of Christ. It is a Christian celebration. Other religions have had their millennium celebrations, but they won't have had anything to do with condoms."
'Schools under no obligation'
Julie Reay, Chairman of Kingston and Richmond Health Authority, said the leaflet gave details of and contact numbers for a wide range of services, including treatment centres and mental health services, and that contraception advice was just one small part of it.
Leaflets had also been distributed through other outlets including clinics, GPs' surgeries and libraries, but schools had always proved the most effective method of getting leaflets into people's homes.
They had been sent to all primary and secondary schools in the health authority area.
She said: "The leaflet is very good, and contains critical information for people over Christmas and the New Year. It is there to help people, for example, by telling them who they can contact when their child is taken ill in the middle of the night.
"Schools are under no obligation to hand out literature, and I would have thought they would read it before they put it into registers.
"There is nothing in there to encourage pupils to have sex, to tell them to go out and party like its 1999. Most pupils nowadays have sex education by the time they are nine, and know what condoms and contraceptives are.
"We regret any offence caused and understand Catholics have very strong views on this. We are not looking to offend people. In future, in our covering letter, we will advise schools to read the material very carefully before distributing it."
|
Search BBC News Online |
|
|
 Advanced search options | |
| |
 | |
 | |
| |
 | BBC RADIO NEWS |
| |
| |
 | BBC ONE TV NEWS |
| |
| |
| WORLD NEWS SUMMARY |
| |
| |
| |
| |
 | PROGRAMMES GUIDE |
|
|
See also: |
|
 |
|
 |
29 Nov 99 | UK |
|
Teenage girls 'having sex earlier' |
| |
|
|
29 Nov 99 | Scotland |
|
Media linked to underage sex increase |
| |
|
|
03 Sep 99 | Education |
|
Telling children about sex |
| |
|
|
29 Nov 99 | Europe |
|
French teens get morning-after pill |
| |
|
|
Internet links: |
|
|
|
|
|
Kingston and Richmond Health Authority |
| |
|
|
Holy Cross Convent School |
| |
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites |
|
Links to other Education stories are at the foot of the page.
E-mail this story to a friend
~RS~a~RS~international~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~00~RS~)