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All young people to learn Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education

05 November 2009

Secretary of State, Ed Balls confirmed today that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education will be made compulsory in schools from September 2011 with all young people to learn about personal finance, alcohol and drugs and healthier lifestyles.

PSHE gives young people the information they need to make the right choices about their future. It covers a range of issues young people growing up today face such as leading healthier lifestyles; body image and health issues; managing personal finance; careers education; avoiding harm from alcohol and drugs; and sex and relationships.

Building on the recommendations of an independent review by Sir Alasdair Macdonald and following extensive public consultations, PSHE, will become a statutory part of the national curriculum at primary and secondary level for all young people for the first time in 2011.

Ed Balls, also reinforced the Government’s strong support for three important principles underpinning Sex and Relationship Education (SRE):

• Schools can continue to be able to tailor the curriculum in the ways they think best suit their pupils
• School governing bodies can retain their right to determine their own approach, in accordance with the ethos of their school
•  The arrangements put in place appropriately recognise and respect the rights of the very small minority of parents who already withdraw their children, and of those parents who might want to do so in future

Parents currently have the right to withdraw their children from SRE up until the age of 19. The Government supports this right but believes that the age should be lowered. Following discussions with parents, young people and faith groups, the Government will bring forward legislation to lower the age to 15. A majority of parents polled on this subject supported a lower age.

Ed Balls said:

"The issues that Personal, Social, Health and Economic education covers are all central to children and young people’s well-being and to their healthy development as they grow up.

"PSHE is really important so I’m going to accept the recommendations of the SRE review group that PSHE should be made compulsory and that all young people should learn about financial education, healthier life styles and avoiding harm from alcohol and drugs. It’s also really important that schools can tailor the curriculum, governing bodies can determine their approach in accordance with their ethos and that parents retain the right of withdrawal.

"Over the last few months an issue has arisen about the age up to which parents should be able to withdraw their children from SRE, if they wish to exercise their right to do so. In practice, only a very small minority of parents choose to exercise this right. However, I believe it is very important that this right is maintained. This is all the more necessary once, subject to the will of Parliament, PSHE becomes a statutory part of the national curriculum

"It is important that parents, schools and young people are all clear about the age that is set, and that this is supported by parents and young people, as well as being practically deliverable and legally enforceable. We have therefore consulted experts in SRE and representatives of faith groups, among others, about this. In addition, my department commissioned some further quantitative and qualitative research in October 2009 to gather further relevant information.

"This research, which was carried out with samples of parents and of adults, found quite a wide spectrum of opinion, against a context in which four out of five parent respondents (81%) to the surveys said they supported the principle that all children should receive SRE. When asked about the right of withdrawal, 20 per cent of parents said there should be no right of withdrawal, 33 per cent of parents said the right should end at age 11, 9 per cent said it should end at age 14, and 7 per cent at the age of 16. A clear majority therefore supported a reduction in the age to which a right of parental withdrawal should apply."

For further information please read the full press release.

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Last updated on 05/11/2009