Government advisors argue the basic sex education that children receive in science classes does not go far enough. It has been revealed that children as young as four are set to be given compulsory sex education in primary school classes.

The FPA (formerly the Family Planning Association), Brook and the Sex Education Forum are recommending the introduction of compulsory lessons, the Mail online of Britain said.

It would bring sex and relationship education on to the curriculum alongside other compulsory subjects such as maths and English, the report said.

"All the evidence shows that if you start sex and relationships education early - before children start puberty, before they feel sexual attraction - they start having sex later," Simon Blake, Brook chief executive said.

"The steering group, jointly chaired by Schools Minister Jim Knight and a member of UK Youth Parliament, will make recommendations to Government later this month," a spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said.

However, the recommendations have caused a storm of protest, with family campaigners claiming that the views of parents and teachers are being ignored. "What this is really all about is the sex education establishment trying to force schools to do something many parents - and many teachers – are uncomfortable with," said Norman Wells, director of the pressure group, Family and Youth Concern.