Education about mental and physical health will become compulsory in all English schools, the Department for Education (DfE) has announced. In a press release issued today, Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds MP said that ‘good physical and mental health is at the heart of ensuring young people are ready for the adult world’, adding that ‘by making health education compulsory’ children will be able to grow up and ‘become happy well-rounded individuals’. The proposals are intended to sit alongside reformed Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, scheduled to become compulsory in September 2020. Humanists UK, which campaigns for compulsory personal, social, health, and economic education (PSHE) in schools, has welcomed the move.
While guidance laying out the specific content of health education is yet to be published, the DfE has stated:
‘At both primary and secondary, pupils will learn about staying safe online – complementing the existing computing curriculum – and how to use technology safely, responsibly and respectfully. Lessons will also cover how to keep personal information private, and help young people navigate the virtual world, challenge harmful content and balance online and offline worlds.
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‘As well as teaching about the benefits of healthy eating and keeping fit, the new compulsory health education will include content on the prevention of health problems. It will help support the development of qualities such as confidence, resilience, self-respect and self-control.’
Humanists UK has long called for reform along these lines. In response to a Government consultation on PSHE earlier this year, it stated:
‘Childhood is a period of rapid change and development, as well as unfamiliar challenges and the various pressures associated with growing up. While some will feel comfortable talking to their family about their feelings, others will not. Either way, charities like Mind and Young Minds have stressed that schools have a key role to play in making children and young people resilient to these pressures, educating them about the various mental health problems that people face, providing a space to talk through their anxieties and worries, and de-stigmatising mental health problems generally.’
Humanists UK Education Campaigner Jay Harman commented, ‘We’re delighted with the Government’s moves to use the school curriculum to promote the wellbeing of children and young people in England. With health education now added to comprehensive, high-quality RSE, children will be much better equipped to lead safe, healthy, and happy lives. We’d still like to see PSHE as a whole be made compulsory in schools, but this is a huge step in the right direction and one we welcome wholeheartedly.’
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For further comment or information please contact Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Jay Harman on jay@humanists.uk.
Read the Government’s press release in full: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-relationships-and-health-education-in-schools
Read more about our work on PSHE and RSE: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/school-curriculum/pshe-and-sex-and-relationships-education/
At Humanists UK, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. Our work brings non-religious people together to develop their own views, helping people be happier and more fulfilled in the one life we have. Through our ceremonies, education services, and campaigning work, we’re committed to creating a fair and equal society for all.