What should children be taught about sex? Over the next six weeks, the Department for Education is inviting views on what sex education ought to cover, ahead of new sex and relationship education (SRE) guidelines.

Meanwhile, the government has already announced that sex education will be compulsory in all schools (although parents will retain the right to withdraw their youngsters from the classes). So, it’s more important than ever that the new SRE syllabus gets it right.

Or is it? Because while naturally it’s important that any area of the syllabus is properly thought through and covers the information young people need to know, it strikes me that what children learn in SRE lessons, despite being the most hotly debated area of formal education, is the least important subject children are taught.