The PSHE Association strongly welcomes today’s announcement that all schools will be required to teach health education in addition to relationships education. This makes the majority of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education mandatory for all pupils, in all schools from 2020. While falling short of mandatory status for the whole of PSHE this measure will greatly encourage schools already prioritising PSHE and help level-up standards across all schools, for all pupils. In his oral statement on the proposals the Education Secretary recognised that many schools successfully cover health and relationships education already through a broader PSHE framework, and should “continue to do so . . . rather than starting from scratch”, which the Association sees as a great endorsement for the work of PSHE professionals across the country.
With concerns about young people’s mental health on the rise, and physical health – including obesity and healthy lifestyles – an ongoing issue, the Association believes that these commitments can have a major impact on the health, wellbeing and safety of this generation and generations to come.
Chief Executive Jonathan Baggaley said:
"The government’s commitment to mandatory health and relationships education is welcome and a major step forward. Damian Hinds has shown outstanding leadership in guaranteeing young people an education that supports their physical and mental health, wellbeing and relationships. Many schools are already preparing young people for life through high quality PSHE education and these measures will encourage them to continue this work while helping to ensure a levelling up of PSHE standards across all schools so that all pupils benefit.
Health and wellbeing are central pillars of PSHE education, and this – along with recent commitments to mandatory relationships education – gives a clear signal to all schools that regular, high-quality PSHE should be a central part of their curriculum.
We are disappointed that mandatory status doesn’t apply to the whole of PSHE, but schools mustn’t feel any need to de-prioritise aspects of the subject that fall outside health, wellbeing and relationships. Learning about economic wellbeing and preparing for work are vital to preparing young people for modern life – and are inextricably linked to health and relationships. Schools should continue to plan their PSHE as a coherent programme taking all aspects into account.
These commitments are a huge boost which will benefit children, young people, parents and carers, for many years to come. We will now look closely at the draft guidance and reply to the consultation on how it can work best for schools and young people”.
The draft guidance, regulations and consultation form are available here.
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