BBC News | EDUCATION | Sex education 'a parents' job'

The research, carried out by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and centre-left think-tank IPPR, found that nine out of 10 teachers wanted parents to "take prime responsibility for the child's personal social and heath education".

The finding comes as the government attempts to legislate on what children should learn in school about marriage and morality.

It is time the public generally realised their responsibilities and influences in this area of child development

Survey respondent

Proposed statutory guidance says children should be taught that "marriage and permanent relationships" are the building blocks of a stable society.

The bill was defeated in the House of Lords on Thursday after it was opposed by traditionalists, including Tory peers and some bishops.

They argued the legislation would mean schools will be able to teach that stable homosexual relationships are on a par with marriage.

Citizenship skills

The research suggests teachers want a new relationship with parents across a range of issues, not just sex education.

Survey findings

Parents should take prime responsibility for sex education - 87%

Legal obligations for parents should extend beyond attendance - 72%

Parents should take more responsibility for teaching of citizenship skills - 89%

Parent support for education should increase - 88%

The majority of teachers in the survey said parents should take prime responsibility for their child's development as an "active citizen" - a reference to "citizenship education" which is to become compulsory in secondary schools.

One teacher told researchers: "It is time the public generally realised their responsibilities and influences in this area of child development.

"They cannot continue to expect teachers to be able to right all the ills of society when society is unwilling to play its own role in providing good role models."

More than 70% of the 950 ATL members surveyed also said they felt parents should take a bigger legal responsibility for pupils' education than just ensuring their children turned up for school.

Parental contracts

Teachers called for home-school contracts introduced by the government to be made legally binding on parents, setting out their obligations to support schools.

The vast majority felt that unless parental support for teaching increased, government ambitions to raise standards would not be met.

But the findings also suggested teachers wanted more chance to interact with parents on a regular basis, rather than just when problems arose.

"If you do not know the parents, you do not know the children," one teacher told the survey.

A spokesman for the ATL said the survey showed teachers would "welcome greater clarity about where their role ends and that of parents begins".

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See also:

22 Mar 00 | UK Politics
Lords inflict Section 28 defeat

16 Mar 00 | Education
Sex education will emphasise marriage

07 Feb 00 | Education
Sex guidelines in Section 28 row

Internet links:

Association of Teachers and Lecturers

IPPR

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