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Ed Balls confirms all young people to learn Personal Social Health and Economic education
05 November 2009- All children and young people to learn about personal finance; alcohol and drugs; and healthier lifestyles - - Ed Balls confirms SRE Review group recommendation that parental right to withdraw maintained – but to be lowered from 19 to 15 -Ed Balls confirmed today that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education will be made compulsory in schools from September 2011. 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, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, 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.“After careful consideration of the outcomes of discussions with experts and other interested parties, including representatives of faith groups, and of the findings of this research, I have concluded that parents’ right to withdraw their children from SRE should continue until their children reach the age of 15. I have come to this view because I believe that proceeding on this basis is balanced, practically deliverable and legally enforceable, and maintains the right of withdrawal for the small number of parents who wish to exercise it. I also believe that setting the age limit at 15 offers the best chance of building a strong consensus.“This means that every young person will receive at least one year of SRE, before their 16th birthday.”Sir Alasdair Macdonald said:“Speaking as the Head of an inner city multi-faith secondary school, I know first hand the vital role that PSHE plays in preparing young people to deal with real life issues. In my review I consulted widely - with schools, teachers, parents, faith groups and children and young people - among all of whom there was very strong support for making PSHE, including SRE, part of the National Curriculum. “I am pleased the Government is taking forward my recommendations, including that schools should involve parents in developing their SRE policy. I support the Government's decision to limit the parental right of withdrawal, given the importance of SRE for all young people."Adam Lonsdale, Member of Youth Parliament for East Riding of Yorkshire, said:“Sex and Relationships Education is obviously going through big change, and I think it is fantastic that so many young people will begin the path to greatly improved SRE. “I am delighted that because SRE will be a part of the statutory curriculum, schools and other establishments will be able to have a proper focus on delivering it with care and professionalism, addressing needs that would previously have been ignored. “The best news however is that parents will no longer be able to withdraw older students from SRE. Young people are the future. And the future of Sex and Relationship Education is here.” DCSF research shows that the majority of parents, teachers and young people agree that PSHE should be statutory and that they recognise the importance providing a broad curriculum to children and young people. School Governing Bodies will also retain the right to ensure that PSHE teaching reflects the ethos and values of the school. However, this must be consistent with the core entitlement of PSHE. They will be expected to speak to parents when setting their curriculum and the Government believes that it is important to allow schools to shape the curriculum.
Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. Today’s announcement on PSHE contains the results of DCSF surveys and polling. It found that four out of five parent respondents to the surveys said they supported the principle that all children should receive SRE; and three in four parent respondents supported the notion that parents should be able to withdraw their children from SRE lessons at ages up to 16. 2. In December 2007, the Department announced a review of Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) in the Children’s Plan. A review group set up in 2008 found evidence, including from young people themselves, that the quality of SRE being delivered was too variable and was failing to meet young people’s needs on a consistent basis. The group was clear and unanimous in its view that making PSHE statutory was necessary to achieve a step-change in the quality and status of the PSHE children and young people receive. A review group which focused on Drug and Alcohol Education, another key component of PSHE, and which ran to the same timescale as the SRE review group, also included among its recommendations that PSHE should be made statutory. In October 2008 the Department made clear its intention to accept the recommendations from both these review groups to make PSHE statutory. At the same time, Sir Alasdair Macdonald CBE, the outstanding headteacher of Morpeth School, was commissioned to conduct an independent review to address the question of how the principle that PSHE should have statutory status could best be taken forward into practice. In carrying out his review Sir Alasdair talked to children and young people, parents, schools, faith groups and expert organisations involved in the development and provision of PSHE. Sir Alasdair delivered his report in March 2009 and in April 2009, the department confirmed the intention to accept all of Sir Alasdair’s recommendations, subject to a consultation. This consultation was carried our on behalf of the department by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) and its consultation report is published today.3. In 2007 an international review of comprehensive Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) by Douglas Kirby found no programmes led to earlier or more frequent sex and nearly all programmes had a beneficial impact on young people’s confidence to say ‘no’ to unwanted sex as well as increasing intention to use contraception and improving knowledge and communication with parents. 4. Generally countries with more comprehensive sex and relationships programmes in schools and easier access to contraception for sexually active teenagers have lower rates of teenage pregnancy, not higher. Despite progress in reversing the previous upward trend and bringing the rate down, the UK has higher teenage pregnancy rates than all western European countries – including Scandanavian countries where SRE is compulsory and Netherlands where it is provided in primary and secondary schools.
Links
QCDA report
http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=QCDA%2f09%2f4358&
DCSF Customer Voice Research – SRE
http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-RR175&
DCSF Sex Education Poll
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-SE-POLL-HF.pdf
WMS
Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) educationThe issues that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education covers are all central to children and young people’s well-being and to their healthy development as they grow up. They are nutrition and physical activity; drugs, alcohol and tobacco; sex and relationships; emotional health and wellbeing; safety; careers education; work-related learning; and personal finance.Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) is one important constituent element of PSHE education. As well as being crucial to the drive to reduce teenage pregnancy it is vital for the healthy development of every child and young person. I set out my intention to review SRE in the Children’s Plan, which was published in December 2007. A review group was established early in 2008 to this end, comprised of experts and representatives of faith groups, including the Church of England and the Catholic Education Service. The group was jointly chaired by Jim Knight, the then Minister of State for Schools; Jackie Fisher, principal of Newcastle College; and a representative of the UK Youth Parliament, in recognition of the importance of the review being informed by the views and experiences of young people, as well as those of parents and experts in SRE. The review group completed its work in the summer of 2008. The review provided evidence, including from young people themselves, that the quality of SRE being delivered was too variable and was failing to meet young people’s needs on a consistent basis. The group stressed that PSHE education was not given sufficient priority in schools and that its lack of status, specifically its non-statutory National Curriculum status, was a key factor in explaining why schools did not prioritise it. The group was clear and unanimous in its view that making PSHE education statutory was necessary to achieve a step-change in the quality and status of the PSHE education children that young people receive. The group recommended that this statutory content (for secondary schools) should be based on the current non-statutory programmes of study for ‘personal well-being’, on which it based its work. It also made it clear that the statutory content for primary schools should be based on new programmes of study for personal well-being, developed by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in the context of Jim Rose’s review of the primary curriculum. I am placing a copy of the SRE content of the PSHE programmes of study in the House Libraries for information, alongside this statement.A review group which focused on Drug and Alcohol Education, another key component of PSHE education, and which ran to the same timescale as the SRE review group, also included among its recommendations that PSHE education should be made statutory. In the Written Ministerial Statement on 23 October 2008, Jim Knight made clear our intention to accept the recommendations from both these review groups to make PSHE education statutory. The statement also announced that I had commissioned Sir Alasdair Macdonald CBE, the outstanding head teacher of Morpeth School, to conduct an independent review to address the question of how the principle that PSHE education should have statutory status could best be taken forward into practice. In particular, I asked Sir Alasdair to examine how we could best ensure that in the sensitive area of 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; and
• 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.In carrying out his review Sir Alasdair talked to children and young people, parents, schools, faith groups and expert organisations involved in the development and provision of PSHE education. His findings were also informed by the results of a call for written evidence; field visits to a wide range of schools and professionals in local areas, selected on the basis of recommendations from expert organisations, including Ofsted; and focus groups with children and young people. Sir Alasdair delivered his report to me in March 2009 and I set out his findings and the Government’s response in a written statement laid on 27th April 2009. Sir Alasdair’s key recommendations were that, in making PSHE education statutory,: • PSHE education must be an integral element of all initial teacher training courses and of the continuing professional development of teachers, school support staff and the wider children’s workforce involved in its delivery;
• Governing bodies should retain the right to determine their school’s approach to SRE and in doing so:I. They should ensure this can be delivered in line with the context, values and ethos of the school, but in a way that is also consistent with the core entitlement to PSHE education.II. Governing bodies should also retain the duty to maintain an up-to-date SRE policy, which is made available to inspectors, parents and young people. III. Governing bodies should involve parents and young people (in the secondary phase) in developing their SRE policy, to ensure that this meets the needs of their pupils, and reflects parents’ wishes and the culture of the communities they serve.• The existing right of parental withdrawal from SRE should be maintained.In my statement to the House on 27th April 2009 I confirmed the Government’s intention to accept all of Sir Alasdair’s recommendations. The right to statutory PSHE was included in the Pupil Guarantee in the White Paper published by my Department in June and I confirmed that it would apply to all state funded schools. In my April statement I also said we would now consult on the detail of these recommendations, prior to moving to legislate on these matters. That consultation process has now been carried out and completed, by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA), on my Department’s behalf, covering a wide range of detailed issues relevant to PSHE, and I am placing copies of their report setting out the results in the House Libraries. This report makes clear that a wide range of views and opinions were expressed, which the QCDA gathered through a variety of means, including an online consultation to which 6000 people responded. QCDA also consulted through conferences; focus groups; and specially designed surveys of children and parents. The QCDA report also sets out their view that the results of their online consultation were influenced by campaigns on these matters conducted by several specific interest groups. The report explains that the QCDA sought to take this into account in their analysis and interpretation of the data. I have considered carefully the outcomes of this consultation, together with Sir Alasdair MacDonald’s report and all the other information that has become available about these matters since my decision to review SRE in November 2007. As a result, I can confirm our decision to accept the recommendations of the SRE Review Group and to proceed with legislation to make PSHE education part of the statutory National Curriculum in both the primary and secondary phases. As the SRE group established in 2008 recommended, PSHE education will therefore be a foundation subject in the national curriculum in Key Stages 3 and 4, with the existing non-statutory programmes of study forming the basis for a core entitlement that all pupils should receive. At primary level the proposed new programme of learning, “Understanding Physical Development, Health and Wellbeing” will be the basis of the core entitlement that all pupils should receive. 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. Currently parents have the right to withdraw their children up to the age of 19. 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 education 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. I am placing reports of the outcomes from that research in the House Libraries. 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. After careful consideration of the outcomes of discussions with experts and other interested parties, including representatives of faith groups, and of the findings of this research, I have concluded that parents’ right to withdraw their children from SRE should continue until their children reach the age of 15. I have come to this view because I believe that proceeding on this basis is balanced, practically deliverable and legally enforceable, and maintains the right of withdrawl for the small number of parents who wish to exercise it. I also believe that setting the age limit at 15 offers the best chance of building a strong consensus.This means that every young person will receive at least one year of SRE before their 16th birthday. It is of critical importance, in ensuring that PSHE helps children to achieve all their Every Child Matters outcomes, that the content of the new PSHE education curriculum is carefully thought through and constructed. This has already been the subject of detailed consultation with schools, young people, parents, faith groups and experts in the field, and through the work of the SRE Review Group. The proposed content of SRE that will be taught when PSHE education becomes statutory will now be subject to further formal statutory consultation on the detail, the process to be overseen by the QCDA and to be concluded by autumn 2010. In order to implement the measures set out in this statement we will include provisions, as necessary, in the forthcoming Children, Schools and Families Bill.
Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2009/0208
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