DfE seeks ways to give schools more control over PSHE education
Lauren Higgs
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The Department for Education (DfE) has launched an internal review of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education to find ways of giving schools more control over how they teach the subject to children.
Schools minister Nick Gibb set out the remit of the review in a letter to Graham Stuart, chair of the education select committee.
Gibb said: "There needs to be room in the life of the school for an exploration of wider social issues that contribute to the wellbeing and engagement of all pupils.
"It should be for teachers, not the government, to design the lessons and the experiences that will engage pupils. Different schools may want to cover different life skills, reflecting their pupils’ interests and local circumstances."
The review will explore how schools should decide what to teach pupils, in consultation with parents and local people, and will consider whether elements of PSHE should be made statutory – although the government has ruled out making PSHE compulsory in its entirety.
It will also look at how to improve the teaching of PSHE and examine ways of assessing and tracking pupil progress in the subject.
Once the review is complete, the DfE will consult on proposals to reform PSHE. Professionals and young people can submit evidence to the review at psheeducation.review@education.gsi.gov.uk.
As an aside to the PSHE review, Gibb’s letter added that the DfE is working with the Office for National Statistics on the possibility of introducing a national child wellbeing indicator.
