Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has said she will ‘think about’ changes to the way that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is taught in English state funded schools, including possibly making it statutory, and to promote an emphasis on ‘the relationships element of it’. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed her comments.
When asked about making PSHE statutory, she said ‘Let me have a think about it. I think PSHE is very important. I particularly want to emphasise the relationships element of it, and we have to think about how this ties in with teaching about healthy self-esteem… and character.’ Morgan, who is also the Minister responsible for Women and Equalities, noted that the Government is looking at ‘homophobic and transphobic bullying and I think these things all tie in together’. She also acknowledged that ‘There is a balance too between saying from Whitehall “this is what we want to do” and schools feeling more overburdened. It is a balance that I am conscious of needing to strike.’
Morgan’s comments come following growing momentum behind plans to reform PSHE in all state funded schools after senior Liberal Democrat and Labour politicians have thrown their weight behind the Private Members’ Bill tabled by the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas MP.
Speaking earlier in the week, Justice Minister Simon Hughes said that he expected that most Liberal Democrat MPs would vote in favour of the Bill and that he was ‘not aware that there is anybody in the parliamentary party that doesn’t think this is a good thing.’ The Liberal Democrats recently committed to calling for statutory Sex and Relationships Education beginning in primary schools as part of their manifesto.
Labour MP Dianne Abbott also spoke in support of the Bill, stating her belief that ‘Better education about sex and relationships is vital’. Labour Leader Ed Milliband, speaking in July, said that he hoped Caroline Lucas’ Bill would receive the support of all MPs, and has made a similar election commitment.
BHA Education Campaigner Richy Thompson commented, ‘Nicky Morgan’s encouraging comments on the PSHE Bill signal a change in attitude in Whitehall after the Conservatives and Department for Education affirmed their opposition to statutory PSHE only last week.’
‘The PSHE Bill, which is due to have its second reading on 24 October, would mean that the subject becomes a statutory requirement in all state funded schools, and that it would be mandatory for PSHE to include Sex and Relationships Education and education on ending violence against women and girls.’
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For further comment or information, please contact Richy Thompson at richy@humanists.uk or on 020 7324 3072.
Read more about the BHA’s work on PSHE and sex and relationships education: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/school-curriculum/pshe-and-sex-and-relationships-education/
The BHA is a member of the Sex Education Forum and the PSHE Association.
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.