PARENTS' HEALTH ADVICE UNDER FIRE FROM SCHOOLS WATCHDOG

Smoking and binge drinking among teenage girls have reached worrying
levels because parents and teachers make the health risks seem less
important than those of illegal drugs, the schools watchdog, Ofsted,
said yesterday.

Most young people correctly saw cigarettes and alcohol as a far
greater threat and the school curriculum must change to reflect that,
it said. Pupils also felt let down by adults who were reluctant to
talk about sensitive issues such as sex and relationships, Ofsted
said. Instead, young people turned to magazines for advice.

It also found that some secondary schools still allow homophobic or
sexist attitudes among pupils to go unchallenged.

The inspectors encouraged the wider provision of emergency
contraception and contraceptive advice for underage pupils, saying
school nurses were providing a "valuable service".

The report on personal, social and health education was based on 350
school inspections over five years.

It said: "Many adults are concerned about young people's involvement
with illegal drugs, but the overwhelming majority of young people
identify correctly that tobacco and alcohol are the greatest
drug-related dangers."

Girls were more affected than boys by others at home who smoked,
according to the report, which reprinted figures from the Schools
Health Education Unit in Exeter showing a quarter of 14- to
15-year-old girls had smoked in the week before they were surveyed, a
proportion barely changed in 20 years.

On issues such as sex, the inspectors said youth magazines helped
"redress the balance of advice", but rejected the idea that
"abstinence only" sex education in schools would reduce teenage
pregnancy or improve sexual health. There was no evidence to support
claims that teaching about contraception increased sexual activity,
it said.