CES Response to Time For Change? Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), published by Ofsted, April 2007

We welcome Ofsted’s recent report as an important prompt for more public debate on important educational issues in sex and relationships education (SRE) and broader PSHE.

We agree that PSHE is very important and that the starting point should be the needs of the child or young person.  Such pupils need a good deal of factual information from reliable sources if they are to avoid being exploited, or misinformed by peers or street culture. 

However, we are firmly of the opinion that facts alone will not equip young people to make wise, carefully considered decisions about their own behaviour and actions – decisions which very often have life-long consequences as well as an impact on others. Education in personal relationships, morals and values cannot be ignored when teaching PSHE. 

We are concerned about the development of a drinking culture amongst young teenagers and that smoking remains at worrying levels.  It is also very worrying to note that in ‘too many schools, mental health issues are either not recognised or tackled sufficiently effectively’. 

Ofsted claims that ‘parents’ greatest challenge is to set clear expectations, and to be aware of and to accept responsibility for their children’s behaviour’.  We completely support this claim and would urge more help to all parents so that they can fulfil these responsibilities.  Governors also have an important part to play and we would urge that in addition to governing bodies being required to set their school’s policy for PSHE they should be required to nominate a governor with strategic oversight of this curriculum area.  

We do not entirely accept Ofsted’s assertions about the usefulness of teenage magazines for young people.  Too often such magazines suggest to young people that sexual activity is the norm amongst their contemporaries – and by default should be so for them too – rather than emphasising the right to say no and to keep sexual relationships for married life.  Magazines, the media and, in particular, advertising put too much consumer pressure on children and young people as well as sexualising youth; this puts extreme and unfair pressure on children and young people and presents significant challenges in the teaching of PSHE. 

We steadfastly oppose any distribution of contraceptives by school nurses or others working in schools and whilst we broadly welcome multi-agency PSHE work, we expect all Catholic schools to make their SRE policy and the school’s faith beliefs on these matters very clear to any external partner or agency working in the school and for them to be upheld by all who contribute to PSHE, pupil welfare, or other school activities.    

At the end of the day PSHE is all about helping pupils to acquire vital skills and we are pleased that Ofsted has highlighted some of these and we applaud Ofsted’s clarity about the need for adequate curriculum time and teaching skills and coordination for PSHE.  We hope that this will be reflected in QCA’s ongoing curriculum review and in resourcing and support for the National Healthy Schools Programme (NHSP).  In the meantime, we look forward to Catholic schools continuing to implement their PSHE programmes, reflecting the Church’s teachings on these matters and using suitable resources such as the Archdiocese of Birmingham’s well received programme ‘All That I Am’. 

Oona Stannard

Chief Executive and Director

12 April 2007