Letter: Birds do it, bees do it . . .

HAVING heard about the Leeds sex education 'scandal' on television, my 10-year-old son asked me what a blow job was. So I told him. He pondered this for a while and then asked why John Patten was so upset. I found this question far more difficult to answer and, unfortunately, my son still remains somewhat mystified.

Does the Education Secretary really believe that my children do not deserve straightforward, comprehensible answers to their questions? I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s. My sex education consisted of being told that it was like the rabbit only different. I want my children to grow up without the sexual hang-ups that I still have to this day and would like to ask Mr Patten to put his brain into gear, in future, before opening his mouth.

Nina Webb

Cheetham, Manchester