Primary School Sex Education & distribution of materials
Dear Somerset County Council,
Please confirm if there is a county-wide policy regarding the Sex Education curriculum for the Year 6 cohort that includes distribution of material including condoms and other paraphenalia given to children to take home from school.
Please confirm who is responsible for signing off this policy.
Is consent from parents sought for this addition to the curriculum and if so, how is that obtained and where is this recorded?
Who provides the 'packs' that include condoms?
What is the reasoning behind providing textured/flavoured condoms to 10 & 11 year old children?
What is the reasoning behind providing sexually explicit information leaflets to 10 & 11 year old children?
Are specific teaching staff allocated to distribute such packs and/or information?
Are PFSA's permitted to advise or distribute to children without recourse to parents?
Is it normal to receive packs with hand written, personalised notes?
Yours faithfully,
A Johnson
Dear Somerset County Council,
As a response was due to my enquiry by 4th September 2014 and as yet, I have not had so much as an acknowledement, please accept this note as a request for internal review.
Yours faithfully,
A Johnson
Dear A Johnson,
Thank you for your request for information. I am very sorry that we have not responded to you. Unfortunately this has been due to a system error.
We will be prioritising your request to deal with them as soon as possible, but please bear with us at this time.
We will endeavour to get our response to you within 20 working days of receipt of this communication.
Yours sincerely
Lucy Wilkins
Information Request Team Leader
Communications Team
Tel: 01823 359173,
internally call extension 5584
Email: [email address]
Email for FOI, EIR, DP enquiries: [Somerset County Council request email]
Somerset County Council, Post Point: PP B3E 2, County Hall, Taunton, TA1 4DY
URL: www.somerset.gov.uk
FOI Disclosure Log URL: http://www.somerset.gov.uk/disclosurelog
Internal Reference: 140962
Date request received: 06/08/2014
Date response due: 03/09/2014
Actual date of response: 03/10/2014
Dear A Johnson,
I am writing in respect of your recent request for information from
Somerset County Council which has been dealt with under the provisions of
the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
I am very sorry for the delay in returning our response to you, this was
as a result of technical issues, which meant that your email was unable to
get through to us in a timely manner.
I confirm that we do hold some of the information that you are seeking and
we are able to provide you with what we hold. Our response is detailed in
bold underneath your questions as follows.
Q1.) Please confirm if there is a county-wide policy regarding the Sex
Education curriculum for the Year 6 cohort that includes distribution of
material including condoms and other paraphernalia given to children to
take home from school.
A1.) No. Sex and Relationship Education is an individual schools
responsibility as part of their Personal Social and Health Education
curriculum
Q2.) Please confirm who is responsible for signing off this policy.
A2.) Not applicable
Q3.) Is consent from parents sought for this addition to the curriculum
and if so, how is that obtained and where is this recorded?
A3.) Not applicable
Q4.) Who provides the 'packs' that include condoms?
A4.) Not applicable
Q5.) What is the reasoning behind providing textured/flavored condoms to
10 & 11 year old children?
A5.) Not applicable
Q6.) What is the reasoning behind providing sexually explicit information
leaflets to 10 & 11 year old children?
A6.) Only age appropriate material would be given, no sexually explicit
information leaflets are given to this age group.
Q7.) Are specific teaching staff allocated to distribute such packs and/or
information?
A7.) Only individual schools can answer this, it is not a policy across
the county
Q8.) Are PFSA's permitted to advise or distribute to children without
recourse to parents?
A8.) We do not hold this information. Parent Family Support Advisors
(PFSA’s) are employed by the schools and therefore this information would
have to be obtained directly from the individual schools.
Q9.) Is it normal to receive packs with hand written, personalised notes?
A9.) No, this is not local practice
If you feel your request has not been answered in sufficient detail or if
you wish to clarify the information given please contact me and I will be
happy to address the issues you raise.
If you are not satisfied with the way in which your request has been dealt
with, or the information you have received you can ask for an internal
review of our decision. Internal review requests should be submitted
within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original
letter and should be addressed to:
Peter Grogan
Corporate Information Governance Manager,
County Hall
Taunton
TA1 4DY
Or email [1][email address] .
If you are still not satisfied, you can complain to the Information
Commissioner, by completing the following form and issuing this to the
ICO. [2]ICO complaint form
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF Tel: 0303 – 123 1113
Finally, please be aware that your response will appear, without your
contact details, on the Council’s website at:
[3]http://www.somerset.gov.uk/disclosurelog
Yours Sincerely,
Victoria Baxter
Information Request Team
email: [4][Somerset County Council request email]
Telephone: +44(1823)3-59560
Somerset County Council, Post Point: PP B3E 2, County Hall, Taunton, TA1
4DY
URL: [5]www.somerset.gov.uk
FOI Disclosure Log URL: [6]http://www.somerset.gov.uk/disclosurelog
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