At Key Stage 3 (age 11 to 13 +, Years 7 to 9) schools have to teach: that fertilisation in humans and flowering plants is the
fusion of a male and a female cell; about the physical and emotional changes that take place
during adolescence; about the human reproductive system, including the menstrual cycle and
fertilization; how the foetus develops in the uterus, including the role of the placenta.
Sperm cells can not divide and have a limited life span, but after
fusion with egg cells
during fertilization, a totipotent zygote is formed with the potential to develop into a new organism.