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All pupils in state schools will now receive high quality lessons in everything from first aid and personal finance to relationships and the consequences of drugs misuse as Schools Ministers announced that Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) will become a compulsory part of the curriculum from Key Stage 1 to 4 (ages 5 to 16).

The announcement comes in response to the principal findings of both the Review of Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) in Schools and the report by the Advisory Group on Drug and Alcohol Education, which both recommended that good PSHE was vital to providing a healthy, rounded education.

It was also announced that headteacher, Sir Alasdair MacDonald, will lead a review into how best to make PSHE compulsory, ensuring that there is a place in the timetable and flexibility in the curriculum to take schools' ethos, pupils' needs and parents' values into account. Updated guidance will also be produced covering the content of the curriculum, based on the existing non-statutory programme of study.

According to the UK Youth Parliament, four out of 10 young people say they received no relationship education at school. Ministers are concerned that there are some serious gaps in young people's education, especially when it came to subjects like sex and relationships and drug or alcohol misuse.

The Government sees education as key to supporting young people to avoid teenage pregnancy, STIs, drug and alcohol misuse. They recognise that parents must take the lead in instilling values in their children, but that schools must help in equipping pupils with information and the emotional and social skills to make safe and healthy choices.

By giving PSHE designated space in the timetable, providing more specific teacher training, funding, resources and a higher profile for the subject generally, young people will be better equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the complexities of modern life.

The SRE review, in particular, identified a need to challenge the perception that sex and relationships education happened in a ‘moral vacuum' in schools and says that parents and schools can and should work together to decide how best topics should be taught.
Lessons should be age appropriate and the Government's response says that while the existing framework at Key Stages 3 and 4 should be consolidated, Sir Jim Rose will look at how PSHE is best delivered in primary schools as part of his ongoing review.

Some of the topics schools can cover include:

• Sex and Relationships: at primary school this means recognising that animals produce offspring, naming parts of the body, preparing for puberty and being able to talk about feelings and friendships. At secondary school it includes learning how to develop mutually respectful personal relationships and the importance of stable relationships to family life and how risky sexual behaviour contributes to the spread of STIs and unplanned pregnancy.

• Drugs and alcohol: at primary level pupils might look at how medicines and toxins can affect the body. At secondary they might study laws around drug and alcohol misuse and their personal and social risks and impacts.

• Healthy lifestyles: at all ages learning about a balanced diet and the need for exercise. Older children might talk about the interplay between physical, emotional and mental health. Also basic first aid.

• Money: how to manage personal finance, employability, enterprise and making career decisions.

Article published on 06/10/2008 by DryOutNow.com

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