The Sex Education Forum have issued the following statement on teenage pregnancy statistics released by the ONS.
Lucy Emmerson, Coordinator of the Sex Education Forum, said:
"There is compelling evidence that where good quality sex and relationships education (SRE) is available it leads to a reduction in teenage pregnancies. Yet nearly a quarter of young people rated the SRE they received at school as bad or very bad, and 4 in ten young people are unsure where to find their local sexual health clinic. So the education on offer is far from standard. Imagine what today's statistics might have been if every school in the country had this vital subject on the timetable. The downward trend in teenage conceptions can only be sustained if SRE becomes a statutory requirement in all schools."