HOW to teach youngsters the facts of life has presented problems ever since those famous birds and bees were just a twinkle in someone's eye.

Should it be left to parents, teachers, or both, to dispel myths about sex and give youngsters the grounding they need for life?

It's a dilemma that may well be on the mind of Coronation Street's Tommy Nelson, who is due for a fiery confrontation with son Craig, 14, believing he's had under-age sex with his girlfriend, Rosie Webster.

Our picture, released ahead of Sunday night's explosive Corrie episode, hints how Craig and Tommy's conversation goes.

Hopefully, most birds-and-bees discussions pass off more peacefully, but teenagers the world over - and many adults - still find them embarrassing.

All credit, then, to the three girls from Canon Lee School, York, who volunteered to talk to your (male) education reporter about sex education. Funnily enough, no boys applied.

The conversation with Year 9 students Laura Wiseman, 14, Claire Scaife, also 14, and Natalie Russell, 13, went rather like this:

Why do you think sex

education is important? Embarrassed laughter, red faces all round.

Claire: "It's important to learn about contraception because you might get pregnant."

How would you like to be told about sex?

Silence.

Would you prefer to talk about it with your parents or teachers?

Laura: "I think it's better if your teacher tells you, because it's embarrassing and you get a different point of view from them."

Do you talk to your friends about sex?

Natalie: "Yes, but it's better to talk to girls about it."

By braving their discomfort to discuss this thorny topic, the girls outclassed Tony Blair, who floundered on Channel 4's Tony and June at the weekend when a schoolgirl asked him why there wasn't more sex education in schools.

Today all secondary schools are required to teachpersonal, social and health education (PSHE) as part of the national curriculum covering sex and areas such as mental health, parenting, and financial awareness.

David Bell, the Government's chief inspector of schools, has claimed a shortage of specialist teachers and a lack of time devoted to PSHE in schools is leaving youngsters unprepared for life.

But Liz Hardy, head of health education at Canon Lee, disagrees completely with Mr Bell.

She said sex education starts in the top year of junior school under the heading "relationships".

In Years 7 and 8 at secondary school, youngsters learn about puberty, friendships and relationships and all year groups have one PSHE lesson a week.

Mrs Hardy said: "I think we have got a good balance. It would be unrealistic to have a designated lesson once a week focusing completely on sex education - that would be overkill.

"But every year group needs some sexual health education as part of their PSHE lessons at some point."

In Year 9, students get a half-term project on sex education and discuss mental health issues.

Year 10 youngsters have another half-term project, on peer pressure to have sex and on sexually-transmitted infections.

In Year 11, youngsters discuss teenage pregnancy and parenting.

Mrs Hardy heads a team, including three teachers and the school nurse, all involved with sex education at Canon Lee.

She said lessons use examples from pop culture and TV to engage youngsters and get over the giggle factor.

"The students are very

sensible and enjoy the lessons.

"We teach it at their level on the relationship side. It's a conversation topic for many teenagers and we can use soap plot lines as examples - usually bad examples - of what to do and what not to do.'

Updated: 11:35 Wednesday, February 02, 2005