Neil Carmichael, who was elected chair of the powerful committee last month, described the government response to the committee's recommendations as "feeble".
"Ministers entirely sidestep the call made by MPs in the closing months of the last parliament to give statutory status to PSHE," he said.
?
"They also reject or brush over nearly every other recommendation made by the previous education committee in their key report published five months ago.??
"It is unclear why it should have taken the government so long to publish such a feeble response."
Carmichael said the inquiry found the government’s strategy for improving PSHE and sex and relationships education in schools is "weak".
"Yet there is nothing in this response to reassure parliament – or young people – that the situation will now improve," he said.
"Ministers know that PSHE requires improvement in 40 per cent of schools, yet they appear to see no urgency in tackling this.
"I am confident that the new committee will want to pursue this matter with ministers, making use of any new evidence and questioning the Secretary of State further in due course.”
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
