A Sexatlas for schools is a guide for the planning and implementation of teaching programmes in sexuality and personal relationships for primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools.
All young people and children receive some form of sexuality education at school in Sweden. This is positive, and it is unique in global terms. It is easy to find examples of successful programmes dealing with sexuality and personal relationships, and Swedish schools have a high ranking in this area in international comparative studies. One reason is that adult members of the school staff respond in an open manner to questions about sexuality and relationships posed by children and young people, and this openness is a decisive factor in the pupilâs fund of knowledge and in a meaningful learning process. But the education provided could be better.
The National Agency for Educationâs quality audit on education in the sexuality and relationships field published in 1999 indicated that the quality of programmes varied, both between schools and within the same school. As RFSU has pointed out previously, one conclusion that may be drawn from this quality audit is that support for schools could be improved – both within the school and externally. Sexuality and relationships are often dealt with in a grudging and niggardly manner, as if this was something the staff should be able to handle without any special training or opportunities for mutual discussion. There is no access to in-service training in many municipalities in Sweden, let alone regional resource centres which can assist the education process. It would be easy to conclude that the schools are not doing their job although, in point of fact, it may be a case of inadequate
prerequisites.