Curricula for Nova Scotia schools cover sexual health from Grade Primary to Grade 9. It begins with discussions of body parts and healthy relationships, later expanding to outcomes surrounding infections and unplanned pregnancies.
Ideally, students build their knowledge over time, integrating new information with pre-existing knowledge. Students who learn the proper names of body parts in Grade Primary will have a better sense of how puberty works in Grade 4. They will also understand the basics of healthy relationships long before they begin thinking of sexual activity.
Although traditionally, we have been taught to think of sexual education as a discrete conversation about ovaries and condoms, it encompasses far more. It begins at the most elementary level with a discussion of body parts and their appropriate names. It also helps children develop positive feelings about themselves and their bodies.
For the most recent outcomes, please check with the Department of Education, or log onto EduPortal, where some curriculum drafts are uploaded prior to approval.