Pupils at a school in Shirebrook are set to trial a new controversial sex education programme.
Shirebrook Academy, in Common Lane, is an early-adopter for the compulsory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) material, which is due to be rolled out across the country in September 2020.
Pupils at the school will be able to give their feedback to the government.
The curriculum guidelines are changing for the first time in nearly 20 years to introduce new topics, such as mental health and online safety.
Other topics will include sharing explicit photos and pornography online, sexual and gender identities within families, and the need to respect and protect their relationships.
News of the lessons has sparked outrage with some parents choosing to protest outside schools elsewhere.
In Nottingham, there was a planned protest against the new RSE lessons outside Fernwood Academy in Wollaton.
Secondary school students will also be taught about the physical and emotional harm caused by female genital mutilation (FGM) and other forms of honour-based abuse.
They will also learn about the excessive use of electronic devices and the need to ration time spent online in order to protect their physical and mental health.
Mark Cottingham, principal of Shirebrook Academy , said: “There has been plenty of controversy surrounding the inclusion of topics within the updated RSE curriculum, with parents at some schools unhappy with themes they feel conflict with their personal beliefs.
“Our school already puts a lot of time and effort into teaching tolerance and acceptance and we are proud that this commitment means that we have had no hesitation in agreeing to become an early-adopter.
“We believe it’s our duty to support all of our students, but also to prepare everyone for a world where people have more and more diverse identities.
“The RSE is not about telling them who or what to be or encouraging one identity above another, but making them aware of the differences and encouraging empathy and openness instead.”
Shirebrook Academy runs a number of support programmes for staff and students, including a strong LGBT support group, while it was also among the first schools in the country to recruit mental health first aiders.
