A government review has, as expected, ruled that sex education in schools will from 2011 be taught as part of the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum. This means that children will learn about sex in the broader context of relationships, homosexuality, marriage, civil partnerships, divorce and abortion, rather than simply as the biological facts of puberty and reproduction formerly taught in science classes. This new form of sex education will also become the norm in both primary and secondary schools, and for children aged 15 and up, it will be compulsory, regardless of parental objection.

Currently, parents have the right to withdraw their child from sex education right up until the end of secondary schooling (even for sixth formers) – although the government says that presently occurs in less then a tenth of 1% of cases, usually for reasons of religious faith. Under the new dispensation, parents may withdraw their children from sex education only up to the age of 15 – although it remains to be seen whether a larger proportion will do so because of objections to the wider perspective of the new sex education curriculum.

The review has generally been welcomed by experts and campaigners who regard the poverty of sex education in UK schools as partially responsible for Britain's relatively high rates of teenage pregnancy. Given that a large proportion of teenagers is already sexually active by the age of 16, many also feel that it is better and more realistic to give young people appropriate information to help them make sensible decisions about their personal lives. But some parents will be unhappy about children as young as five learning about different kinds of relationships and physical changes in puberty, and may use their right to opt out of sex education.

Do you like the sound of the new sex education curriculum? And do you think parents should have the right to withdraw their child from these lessons?

Will you be exercising that choice yourself? If so, do you object to compulsory sex education for your child from 15?

Or conversely, are you in the camp that thinks no parent should have the right to pull their child out of PSHE classes at any age?