Janet and John and the birds and the bees

THE FRIDAY THING: MAYBE it is all this serious concern about child sexual exploitation, where young people are lured into sexual activities by older people whose selfishness knows no bounds.

But where in all this does the argument that schools must give sex education to pupils as young as five come from? And where does it fit into the curriculum among English, maths, history, geography and languages?

Equally dubious is a call for pupils aged 13 to be given condoms. They are encouraged by a website that goes under the name of “Are you getting it” which offers various types of condoms.

I can’t remember quite how I responded to condoms when I was a 13-year-old schoolboy. Did I really know what one was for?

The word is that giving out condoms to 13 year olds could encourage the notion that underage sex is the norm and maybe in these so-called enlightened times, it is exactly that.



I AM taken to task by “Misrepresented of Diggle” who says in a letter to the Chronicle that there are plenty of people in Diggle who want the school built on the old pallet works site and plenty more who accept that it is the best option for the school and the use of the site

I can well understand that parents of school-age children living in Diggle would welcome a new secondary school on their doorstep.

Certainly, Misrepresented would rather have a new school than a housing development on the eyesore site.

But it would be interesting to know how many Diggle students there are in Saddleworth School at the moment, compared with students who travel much further to get their secondary education. Pupils from other parts of Saddleworth, and their parents, will see a move to Diggle as a backward step that suits the minority.

To “Misrepresented” I am a Luddite (and I’ve been called worse. Often) and have no personal axe to grind. My two children were pupils at Saddleworth School many years ago and always found it a happy experience that married convenience with safety and practical benefits - such as the many Uppermill shops used by pupils, for their own benefit as well as that of the businesses.