This week has seen a series of significant developments in the campaign for statutory PSHE. Campaigning activity is continuing today, the last day before Parliament rises for the beginning of party conference season, with three bereaved parents visiting Downing Street to deliver a letter to Theresa May calling for statutory status.
Momentum behind the campaign has been building since Tuesday when the Commons Women and Equalities Committee launched a landmark report calling for statutory status for PSHE education as part of efforts to address sexual harassment and violence in schools. The Education Secretary Justine Greening was probed on the status of the subject yesterday by the Commons Education Committee with chair Neil Carmichael leading calls for PSHE to be made statutory. After the committee session, the Telegraph and Daily Mail reported that the government was considering changing its position on the status of the subject.
Today, the Commons Home Affairs Committee has issued a landmark report on female genital mutilation which amongst a range of recommendations calls for PSHE to be made a statutory subject, while the front page of the Telegraph newspaper today covers comments from senior government advisor Louise Casey calling for compulsory lessons on resilience, character, identity and integration. The report cites PSHE education as the obvious place for such lessons to be delivered.
The campaign for statutory status will be taken to Downing Street today as three bereaved parents who have become involved in PSHE education take a letter to Downing Street calling for all school pupils to receive compulsory PSHE lessons. Lorin LaFave, the founder of the Breck Foundation, Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, the founder of the Daniel Spargo Mabbs Foundation and Sacha Langton-Gilks, the lead campaigner for the Head Smart campaign, will deliver a letter to Number 10 at 1pm. Further details on this visit will follow later today.
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