Education Review Office tells schools: teach more about porn

NZ Herald 12 September 2018 
The Education Review Office says high schools should be teaching about pornography and sexual violence so teenagers learn what’s healthy and what’s not.

The agency, in its first review of sexuality education in schools since 2007, says schools have not kept pace with an explosion of access to pornography and other sexual content on smartphones and social media.

“To meet the needs of young people in our current context, sexuality education needs to be more comprehensive and the variability across schools needs to be reduced,” it says.

“This evaluation found some schools were failing to meet minimum standards of effectiveness, and many more were only just meeting these standards.

“Given the complexity of the issues involved, and the impact sexuality issues have on young people’s wellbeing, this performance is not good enough.”

The report says upcoming findings from The Light Project, founded by Auckland sexual health workers Nikki Denholm and Jo Robertson, show that many NZ teens are learning about sex through pornography.
READ MORE: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12123599

NZ sex-ed was bad in 2007 – its still just as bad, report shows
Stuff co.nz 12 September 2018  
Sex education in New Zealand is no better than it was a decade ago – and students are being let down by a lack of education around consent, pornography and sexual violence, a new report shows.

In 2007, the Education Review Office (ERO) found the majority of schools were not effectively meeting students’ needs with sex education.

Māori and Pacific students were being particularly let down, as were students with additional needs and students who were sex-, gender- or sexuality-diverse

ERO also commended a large co-ed secondary school for celebrating diversity by asking students if they had a preferred name or pronoun, and using non-gendered terms, installing gender-neutral toilets, supporting a same-sex couple as the main characters in their student-directed Shakespeare production and holding gender-neutral events at athletics days.

“These schools were proactive, rather than reactive, and did not simply rely on more general policies and practices around inclusion, but took the time and effort to think about how they could send the positive message for sex-, gender- or sexuality-diverse students that they were welcome and cared for,” the report said.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/107002274/nz-sex-ed-was-bad-in-2007–its-still-just-as-bad-report-shows

Education Review Office recommends more teaching on porn
NewsHub 12 September 2018
The Education Review Office (ERO) has recommended schools teach students more about pornography after discovering it is one of the least mentioned parts of sex education.

The 2018 Promoting Wellbeing Through Sexuality Education report found less than half of high schools taught about pornography, while a lot of students access it.

“Pornography rarely depicts meaningful consent, and often includes coercion and/or violence, particularly towards girls and women, as a normal part of sexual encounters,” it said.

“Upcoming draft survey findings… highlight that many young people in New Zealand are learning about sex through pornography.”

Conservative group Family First said parents needed resources on pornography.

“Pornography viewing by young people is absolutely a major concern for parents, but what parents are crying out for is resources and an understanding of the technology, the risks, and of how to protect their children,” said executive director Bob McCoskrie.
READ MORE: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/09/education-review-office-recommends-more-teaching-on-porn.html 

High school students should be taught about pornography and sexual violence, report says
TVNZ One News 12 September 2018
High school students should be taught about pornography and sexual violence so they learn what is healthy, the Education Review Office has said in a report.

Promoting wellbeing through sexuality education is the agency’s first review of sex education in schools in 11 years.

It says sex education has not kept pace with technological changes in the last decade.

“Without the knowledge and skills to navigate this context, young people are at risk of developing unhealthy attitudes toward sexuality, increasing risks to mental and physical wellbeing for themselves and others,” it said.
READ MORE: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/high-school-students-should-taught-pornography-and-sexual-violence-report-says?auto=5833803782001 

Principal: Schools can’t fix social issues such as pornography
NewsTalk ZB 12 September 2018
High schools are being told to teach about pornography and sexual violence so teenagers learn what’s healthy and what’s not.

The Education Review Office has released its first review of sexuality education in schools since 2007.

The agency says sex education hasn’t improved in a decade, and students are being let down.

President of the Secondary Principals Association Michael Williams told Larry Williams that parents have a responsibility to do this rather than teachers.

He says that the ERO only visited 16 schools and 100 primary schools.

“So the predominance of talking about pornography and sexual violence, I’m not sure where they’ve drawn that conclusion from such a small example of secondary schools.”

He says that most schools would cover issues like pornography, but that they can’t fix social problems.
READ MORE: https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/larry-williams-drive/audio/michael-williams-schools-cant-fix-social-issues-such-as-pornography/