Almost half of secondary school teachers say they don’t feel confident teaching sex and relationships education, a new survey has revealed.

A joint survey from NASUWT and NSPCC of over 1,000 secondary school teachers found that 46% don’t feel confident teaching classes on sex and relationships.

The teachers’ union and the children’s charity also found that over a quarter of teachers don’t feel confident answering difficult or sensitive questions in lessons.

The majority of the respondents (86%) said they feel they need more resources and training in this subject area and 57% think the level of support from the government has been poor.

Maria Neophytou, NSPCC director of Strategy and Knowledge, said: ‘Sex and relationships education is vital for young people as it helps them understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, and that they have a right to be safe, heard and respected.

‘The NSPCC has championed a holistic approach towards sex and relationships education across the UK for many years and following on from the thousands of testimonies off the back of the Everyone’s Invited movement, it’s clear that this education is now more important than ever before.

‘Therefore, it’s essential there are resources available to teachers like those provided in Talk Relationships so they can feel confident engaging with pupils and delivering a range of diverse topics, whether consent, sexuality or online safety.’

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: ‘The provision of high quality SRE should be a core component of the curriculum in every school to enable young people to keep themselves and others safe and to help them make informed choices.

‘The NASUWT has campaigned for PSHE and SRE to be key elements within all initial teacher training routes and continuing professional development packages. However, it is evident from the findings of our joint survey that many teachers do not currently feel they are being equipped with the tools or time they need to be able to teach about these sensitive topics confidently.

‘Teachers cannot provide pupils with the guidance and information they need if they are not themselves given ongoing access to pedagogical and practical training and advice. The Talk Relationships service will provide a valuable package of support for teachers, but the new Secretary of State must also step up to the plate by ensuring access to comprehensive training for teachers and ensuring that every school can benefit from specialist external sources of direct support and expertise.’