Teachers in the East of England has said that the "inadequate" and "outdated" training stops them delivering sex and relationships education confidently.

40% of secondary school teachers in East Anglia have said they are not confident in teaching sex and relationship classes.

In the East of England, 81% felt they needed more resources, 76% felt they needed more training, and the level of support from the Government was described overwhelmingly as "poor", with 53% labelling it as such.

The findings, from a joint NSPCC and NASUWT survey of secondary school teachers in the UK, including 72 from the East, comes after the compulsory curriculum came into effect in England.

In order to support teachers with the training, the NSPCC has launched their UK-wide service called Talk Relationships, as they believe these lessons are crucial in safeguarding children.

Finding from the survey also revealed that currently quite a few teachers surveyed in the area, lack confidence when it comes to delivering certain topics covered in sex and relationships education.

33% don't feel confident delivering lessons on pornography, 36% feel very confident delivering lessons on consent, and only 22% feel confident delivering lessons on harmful sexual behaviour and harassment.

Maria Neophytou, NSPCC director of strategy and knowledge, said: "Sex and relationships education is vital for young people as it helps them understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.

"It's essential there are resources available to teachers like those provided in Talk Relationships so they feel confident engaging with pupils and delivering a range of diverse topics."

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, and former head of King Edwards VI school in Bury St Edmunds, said: "We support the introduction of Relationships and Sex Education but, as usual, schools have been left to implement this complex and sensitive subject with minimal government support.

"The government has published a support package of training modules and guidance, and other organisations also offer training packages, but the reality is that schools are extremely hard-pressed in terms of time and staffing numbers.

"The teachers are not specialists in Relationships and Sex Education, and they have to learn and deliver extensive information and guidance in addition to their other teaching.

"A better solution, would have been for schools to be able to draw upon specialist support to deliver these classes, but the government does everything in education on the cheap."