There have been further high profile calls this week for the government to make PSHE education a statutory subject on the school curriculum.
Chair of the Association for Police and Crime Commissioners (APPC), Vera Baird QC, stressed the importance of statutory PSHE in helping children and young people to recognise and stay safe from child sexual abuse. Ms Baird said that making PSHE statutory would be a “key step” and that this move was supported by police and crime commissioners (PCCs) from across the political spectrum.
Ms Baird added that “taught well, PSHE would give children who are victims of abuse the education to judge earlier that it is wrong and develop the confidence to report” and that “reports into abuse in Oxford and Rotherham both concluded that good-quality PSHE keeps children safe, and polls suggest overwhelming parental support for it to be taught in schools”.
You can read Ms Baird’s opinion piece here and a supporting article here.
Elsewhere, Green MP Caroline Lucas highlighted her continued commitment to campaigning for statutory status and Thangam Debbonaire MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees, reiterated her support for PSHE education for all pupils.
In response to this latest support, Joe Hayman, PSHE Association Chief Executive said:
"We hugely welcome the support from police and crime commissioners across the country for statutory PSHE education. They know, as we do, that PSHE has the potential to help children keep themselves and others safe - an objective which cuts across political boundaries.
Recent months have included calls from MPs from across the political spectrum for statutory PSHE and we are grateful for more such calls this week.
Our whole society – including 91% of parents and 92% of young people – is calling for this change. We hope Justine Greening and Theresa May will recognise the urgency of the situation and take this opportunity to give PSHE the statutory status it deserves"