Here's what the headmaster of Eton has to say about sex education

The headmaster of Eton has argued that children are in need of “pretty graphic” sex education from the age of nine to combat the growing pressures of the modern world.

Tony Little told a conference yesterday: “One of the real challenges we face as parents and particularly in schools – and this has accelerated in the last few years – is the growing apparent sophistication of children at a younger age.

They need, even at the age of nine now, pretty graphic sex education because of the pressures that are being put on girls particularly, from the age of 11 and upwards.

• Tony Little, headmaster of Eton

Mr Little (above), who was speaking at the Global Education and Skills Forum organised by the education charity the Varkey Foundation in Dubai, also argued that single-sex education could be more effective than co-ed teaching and allow children to retain their “innocence” for longer.

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