An Ofsted report released today found that most schools it inspected are providing good PSHE, but the quality and provision of Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) is patchy. The BHA has called for PSHE, including SRE, to become a compulsory subject in all schools.
Naomi Phillips, BHA Head of Public Affairs, said, ‘PSHE and good SRE are important subjects that, as part of a broad, balanced and objective curriculum, helps to equip students with skills, knowledge and confidence they need for healthy, fulfilling and safe relationships now and in later life. Parents, teachers, and young people themselves have long called for PSHE to be made a statutory part of the National Curriculum in all state schools, understanding that change would significantly improve the standard and quality of the subject. It was with great regret that legal reforms set to do so were dropped at the end of the last parliament.
‘As part of our commitment to promoting and ensuring children’s rights to a good education and unbiased information, we are working closely with a wide range of other organisations, as well as with our supporters in parliament, to seek ways to improve the provision of SRE in all schools. From our perspective, making PSHE statutory, with no parental right of withdrawal, is a vital first step.’
Notes
For further comment or information, contact Naomi Phillips on 020 7079 3585 or 07540 257101.
Read the BHA’s position statement on SRE
Read the Ofsted report on PSHE
The BHA is committed to encouraging informed and responsible choice. Therefore, we believe that all children are entitled to full and accurate SRE, including unbiased information on contraception, STIs, abortion, sexual orientation, and the many forms of family relationship conducive to individual fulfilment and the stability of society.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief. The BHA contributes to debate on a wide range of ethical issues from stem cell research to sex education. The BHA is a member of the National Children’s Bureau Sex Education Forum (SEF) and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England.