A mum from Hull has said she was left "fuming" after seeing that her 11-year-old daughter had been set homework which involved defining "hardcore pornography" in addition to various other explicit terms.
Students from years 7, 8 and 9 at the Archbishop Sentamu Academy were asked to complete the work as part of their Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) class. Some of the other words they were asked to define included "pornography," "soft pornography," "transsexual pornography," and "female genital mutilation."
Mum of three Mrs Taylor insisted that her daughter would have been "scarred for life" had she decided to research the terms online.
She told Hull Live: "My daughter is still very much a child, we've still got magic elves, her bedroom is done in My Little Pony. She is very innocent and naive. She was only in primary school last year living her best life, now she is being asked to search for hardcore pornography.
"I'm just thinking is there kids out there who have done this work? You would be scared at what you saw. At 11 I was playing with Barbies. If they have seen it they can't unsee it. Now it's making me think what they are learning about at school that we don’t know about. We only know about this because they're home learning."
Mrs Taylor added that she "had a few choice words" for the school after seeing the homework. "I was fuming and I said point blank she is not doing it, she wants to be out the lesson. I am disgusted with it," she said.
Following several complaints from concerned parents, the Academy, which is sponsored by the Diocese of York and named after the Archbishop John Sentamu, has apologised profusely.
Academy principal Chay Bell said: "I am genuinely sorry if parents or students have unnecessarily researched any of these phrases and for any offence caused.
"I have asked that any future materials of this nature have a clear statement ensuring students and their parents are aware of any potentially sensitive content and will ensure all materials are fully age appropriate."
Bell added that the the PSHE materials shared with students "are produced in line with government guidance, the PSHE Association Programmes of Study and the Sex Education Forum’s definition of Sex Education."
He qualified that students "were not directed to research these topics themselves on the internet because all the answers to the questions students posed were contained in the teacher-produced materials we shared."
"Again, I am genuinely sorry for any upset caused at this difficult time," Bell concluded.
According to the Academy's mission statement, it aims to offer "an education that transforms lives and communities" through the harnessing of "Christian principles."
The statement adds: "Everyone in our academy community deserves to be cared for unconditionally and valued equally as a unique creation, made in the image of God.
"In our learning, in our work, in our relationships and in the ways in which we organise our community... we are committed to valuing the work and person of Jesus Christ, his example and his teaching.
"Our mission, lived out day by day, is underpinned by our core Christian values of Trust, Love and Community."
