PSHE Association response to final National Curriculum framework

Members may be aware that the final National Curriculum framework has now been launched by the Department for Education. There have been no changes to the references to PSHE education from previous drafts, with the following paragraph on PSHE education included in the framework documents for both primary and secondary levels:
 
'All schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good practice. Schools are also free to include other subjects or topics of their choice in planning and designing their own programme of education.'

The DfE has also published supplementary guidance on PSHE education which reiterates previous Government policy on the subject. It states that while PSHE education remains a non-statutory subject, it is ‘an important and necessary part of pupils’ education. It goes on:

'Schools should seek to use PSHE education to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.'

Based on these conclusions, the PSHE Association has updated its guidance for school leaders and PSHE co-ordinators on the status of PSHE education.

In response to the final National Curriculum Framework, PSHE Association Chief Executive Joe Hayman said:

“We are very grateful to our members who have contributed to the process of drawing up this final version of the national curriculum.”

“This is not the national curriculum we wanted, but we welcome that the DfE has reiterated its belief that PSHE education is an important and necessary part of pupils’ education for which all schools should make provision. It is also clear about the links between PSHE education and the broader school curriculum, including statutory elements.”

“Now that we have clarity on this position, we will focus our energies on providing support to all schools to raise the quality and impact of their PSHE education provision. Our new Programme of Study, which fills the gap left by the DfE’s decision not to update its own Programme of Study for PSHE education, should be a good starting point for PSHE co-ordinators and senior leaders.”

“We will never give up on our goal of making PSHE education a statutory subject, however, and will continue our work towards this goal on behalf of colleagues across the country.”

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