“Lads” magazines are a valuable source of information for teenage boys learning about sex, the education watchdog said today.

A study from Ofsted claimed that teenagers were turning to weekly publications such as Zoo and Nuts to learn about the facts of life to fill the void left by parents, who are often failing to give sufficient support.

Although lads' magazines were judged by school inspectors to be sometimes explicit and sexist, they were also deemed to be a “very positive” source of advice for young people, many of whom felt their parents lacked the knowledge and skills to talk to them directly about sensitive issues.

A number of students voiced concern that parents and teachers alike would only address sex and relationship matters when it was “too late” and they had reached puberty or already started experiencing sexual desire.

“Parents often seek to approach personal, social and health issues with their children tangentially, if at all,” the report said.

“As well as failing to provide the information themselves, some parents express concern about the suitability of information that young people receive from other sources, such as magazines, even when these could be useful.

“For example, the increase in the number of magazines aimed at young men, while at times reinforcing sexist attitudes, has helped to redress the balance of advice available to young people.

“The range of topics and the explicitness in dealing with them have increased in many of the magazines read by young people.

“While many magazines now stress the importance of safe sex, some communicate, inaccurately, the perception that all young people are sexually active,” Ofsted said. “Nevertheless, the ‘problem pages’ in magazines remain a very positive source of advice and reassurance for many young people, but difficulties may arise if the messages clash with parental and cultural norms.”

The study, which assessed personal, social and health education in schools (PSHE), found that teachers too were in some cases lacking the ability to deal with sex and relationship matters. Although inspectors acknowledged that lessons had generally improved in the last five years, they warned that much of the teaching was “unsatisfactory.”

“Too many schools do not base their PSHE curriculum sufficiently on the pupils’ assessed needs. The area recruits few teachers with directly relevant qualifications,” the report said.

In particular, schools were failing to give enough emphasis on teaching about HIV and Aids, despite the fact that it remains a key health concern.

Miriam Rosen, Ofsted’s director of education, called on parents and teachers to put their embarrassment to one side and talk to their children.

“No matter how difficult it may be, parents and teachers have to discuss sensitive issues with their children and pupils to help them make the right choices as they grow up,” she said.

The study, which was based on 350 school inspections over the past five years, also found that school nurses were providing a key service by offering the morning-after pill to pupils. It praised schools which ran after-hours clinics where nurses offer advice and contraception.

“School nurses can provide a valuable service, particularly in terms of providing emergency hormonal contraception and advising on other forms of contraception.

“Progress towards establishing such centres has been modest, but many extended schools are now providing a good range of services.”

The report added: “Young people live in a world far removed from that which their parents experienced in their teens.

“At times, it is the school rather than the home that provides the moral code and, in its absence in the home, some children are put under additional pressures.”

The decline in turning to parents for advice was particularly steep among girls aged 12 and 13, who in the past, had regarded their mothers as the prime source of advice on personal matters.

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