Teenagers should be able to get confidential advice on contraception at school, along with supplies of condoms and pills, according to a report yesterday from the government's advisory group on teenage pregnancy.
All pregnant young women should have early access to abortion if they wish, free on the NHS, it said. None should be made to wait because local GPs were reluctant to recommend abortion to a girl under 16.
Ministers appointed the advisory group to ensure progress was made toward the government's target of halving the number of teenage conceptions by 2010.
The UK has the highest rate of teenage births in western Europe: twice the rate in Germany, three times higher than France, and six times higher than the Netherlands.
Jacqui Smith, the health minister, welcomed the report yesterday, but did not commit the government to acting on any of the recommendations, pending a full response early next year.
The advisory group, chaired by Lady Winifred Tumim, said: "Confidential health services, including full contraception and sexual health services, should be available for young people, both male and female, on secondary school premises where appropriate and/or through community settings."
Gill Frances, the group's vice chairwoman, said that it was unrealistic to force all secondary schools to provide contraceptives. Urban ones might be able to refer pupils to an advisory centre in the local shopping centre, while rural schools might need to have someone on the premises qualified to prescribe contraceptives.
Neighbouring schools could collaborate, creating a place for teenagers to discuss sex without fear of embarrassment or disclosure.
"Young people are having sex before they get to the top year at school, and these services should be there for them whatever age they are," she said.
Evidence from sex education programmes in the US suggested they neither encouraged nor discouraged young people to have sex, but they did boost the use of contraception among those that did.
The group advised the government to improve NHS funding for young people's contraception services, "including the availability and funding of free condoms, emergency contraception and the long-acting methods, both through primary care and community services".
It called for research into how many GPs were refusing abortion or contraception to under 16s. Limits on the number of free NHS abortions in a particular area might also pose difficulties for young women.
The group said sex education should become a compulsory part of the school curriculum, and "care should be taken in the review of sexual offences law to ensure that it does not criminalise or undermine the confidence of professionals providing contraceptive or sexual health services to young people who are having consensual relationships with a partner over 18".
Increased support should be available for those who were already parents, including helping young mothers return to education, and reviewing the benefits system to help all young parents, including stable cohabiting couples, the group said.
Lady Tumim said: "We must learn from neighbouring countries in Europe."
