Age limits will be imposed for the first time over when pupils can be taught about sex education, the government has announced today.

In the guidance, which the government has finally published today following a review launched over a year ago, schools are told not to teach pupils any form of sex education until Year 5, when they are aged 9.

It also tells schools they should not teach about the “concept of gender identity” at both primary and secondary level.

The government said the new guidance follows “multiple reports of disturbing materials being used in RSHE lessons”.

The Department for Education added that the updated guidance ensures “content is factual, appropriate and that children can fully understand everything they are being taught”.

However, headteachers’ leaders have warned that the government has not handled the “teaching of sex education with the care it deserves” after publishing the draft guidance without consultation with school leaders.

Sex education guidance statutory after consultation

Other measures announced by the DfE this morning will prevent pupils from being taught about “the contested theory of gender identity” and rule out any “explicit” conversations about sex until they are aged 13.

Pupils should also not be taught about contraception, sexually transmitted infections and abortion until this age under the new measures.

Draft statutory guidance on relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education was published on Thursday.

It says sex education in primary school is not to prepare pupils for sexual activity in later life, but rather should focus on giving pupils the information they need to understand human reproduction and for their own safety.

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Although the guidance puts forward a series of age limits on when certain topics can be taught, it also says there can be some flexibility if necessary “to respond promptly to issues which pose an imminent safeguarding risk to their pupils”.

It adds that parents must be informed in advance if something is to be taught earlier than expected.

The guidance states: “For example, if a primary school becomes aware that pupils are circulating pornographic material on social media, or if a secondary school becomes aware of a problem with sexual abuse in Key Stage 3, it would be appropriate for the school to address this with pupils in order to tackle the behaviour promptly, make them aware of the risks and consequences, and prevent it from happening in future.

“However, this does not mean schools should go into the details of the sexual acts in question.”

The updated guidance is now open for a nine-week consultation, after which it will become statutory.

Material samples to parents

Schools will be required to provide parents with samples of the material that pupils will be taught to quell these fears, the DfE has also said.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “Parents rightly trust that when they send their children to school, they are kept safe and will not be exposed to disturbing content that is inappropriate for their age.

“I will always act swiftly to protect our children and this new guidance will do exactly that, while supporting teachers to teach these important topics sensitively and giving parents access to curriculum content if they wish,” he added.

The DfE said that secondary school pupils will learn about “legally protected characteristics” such as sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

However, the updated guidance is clear that schools should not teach about the “concept of gender identity.”

This morning, education secretary Gillian Keegan was asked how widespread the teaching of “inappropriate” material about gender identity is in schools.

She told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme: “I don’t think it’s widespread, I mean, I don’t know because you know, it’s not something that we’ve gone and done a particular survey of.”

The announcement comes after the department released its gender questioning guidance, which was met with concerns from school leaders owing to the risk of legal challenges made to individual schools.

School leaders not consulted on guidance

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that the government has “not handled the important matter of the teaching of sex education with the care it deserves”.

“It has not consulted with school leaders and we have not seen the guidance that is planned,” he added.

Mr Di’Iasio said that schools are already following government guidance on the teaching of relationships and sex education (RSE), and raised specific concerns about the plans to set age limits on what pupils can be taught.

“There does need to be some flexibility for school leaders to respond to the circumstances in their context. For example, there is often damaging misinformation circulating on social media that they may need to address in order to safeguard the wellbeing of their pupils.”

His comments were echoed by Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, who also has “serious concerns about how potential ‘limits’ would work in practice”.

Mr Whiteman added: “Schools already work hard to ensure that the curriculum and teaching are age-appropriate based on the current government guidance, and have the vital flexibility to respond to their own community and the needs of pupils in their schools.”

Teachers given advice on ‘misogynistic influencers’

The guidance makes clear that schools should make teaching materials available to parents and clarifies how copyright legislation allows this.

It also features additional content on suicide prevention, including equipping pupils to recognise when they or their peers need help.

The guidance includes a dedicated section on sexual harassment and sexual violence, following reports of schools seeing rising levels of harmful misogynistic behaviour among students, the DfE said.

This will include advice for teachers about how to address misogynistic online influencers.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan said that the guidance “will support schools with how and when to teach often difficult and sensitive topics, leaving no doubt about what is appropriate to teach pupils at every stage of school”.