Britain’s Education Secretary has rejected calls to make sex education mandatory in primary and secondary schools across England.

According to The Christian Institute, Nicky Morgan MP rejected calls from four different House of Commons committee chiefs to introduce Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), and Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) as mandatory subjects, stating that she intends to “carefully consider” current guidance on sex education.

In January, Morgan received a letter from the chairmen of the Education Committee, the Health Committee, the Home Affairs Committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee on the issue of sex education.

Currently, local authority maintained secondary schools must offer sex and relationships education, but free schools, academies and all primary schools are not required to do so.

Under the country’s national curriculum, sex-and-relationship education is compulsory from age 11 – but parents are allowed to withdraw their children from parts of it.

Despite arguments from those advocating the introduction of mandatory sex-education classes that it will help children to avoid abuse, The Christian Institute has warned that, rather than solving problems, additional statutory sex education will only cause more harm.