Sps160 chapter 6 health promotion for target group
Mentor_submission to the Education Committee inquiry on PSHE and SRE
1. Mentor Submission to the Education Select Committee inquiry on Personal,
Social, Health and Economic education and Sex and Relationships Education
in schools
Background on Mentor
1. Mentor is the only national alcohol and drug prevention charity. We hold
the DfE contract to run its national advice and information service for
schools in England ADEPIS (Alcohol & Drug Education & Prevention
Advice Service). We run prevention projects throughout England and
campaign for evidence based drug education for young people. We have
recently been awarded three-years funding from the Education
Endowment Foundation to conduct a random controlled trial of an
intervention for six-eight year olds, The Good Behaviour Game in the
north east of England.
Executive summary
2. We believe this inquiry to be appropriate and crucial for the future of our
pupils. As an alcohol and drug prevention charity, we recognise and stress the
role of PSHE education in preparing pupils for the challenges and
opportunities they will face throughout their lives. We believe in a holistic
approach to education, where PSHE is regarded as an overarching theme,
which comprises different developmental components, all of those equally
important for pupils’ development. We believe that improved PSHE teaching
will result in many long term positive impacts; on alcohol or drug use, sexual
behaviour, and mental health. Hence, our decision not to focus our response
specifically on the provision of SRE.
3. The inquiry has identified what we believe are two core issues: the need for a
statutory status for PSHE and the need for a more effective accountability
system to ensure all schools focus on PSHE. The government recognises the
importance of PSHE, as a necessary part of pupils’ education1
, however the
current non-statutory status of PSHE leaves its potential unachieved. The
non-statutory status of PSHE and the consequent lack of emphasis from
Ofsted on this subject, results in the teaching of PSHE being neglected. At
present, most schools do not give sufficient priority to the subject, which is
often squeezed out of the curriculum, due to lack of time or expertise. It is a
fact that most teachers responsible for PSHE education lack adequate
training on the subject, which in turn compromises the quality of PSHE
currently taught to our pupils.
4. We therefore strongly recommend the following:
• PSHE to be a statutory entitlement for all school children and young
people;
1
DfE website on PSHE
2. • The implementation of a core judgement of PSHE within Ofsted
framework of inspection under section 78 of the Education Act 20022
;
• The provision of consistent training to PSHE teachers.
PSHE: a brighter future for our children and young people
5. A consistent and well-planned PSHE programme will support schools in
meeting their statutory obligation to promote children’s wellbeing (Children Act
2004) and develop a healthy learning environment. Not only does PSHE help
improve the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, it also –
where part of a whole school approach – reinforces schools’ safeguarding
capacity and procedures.3
6. The statutory provision of PSHE education is a unique opportunity to ensure
our pupils acquire essential skills needed to better navigate life opportunities,
challenges or responsibilities. A well structured and well monitored
programme of PSHE:
• Improves educational attainment and skills that promote
employability;
• Reduces antisocial behaviour in the school, improving staff
retention and life in the local communities;
• Reduces social and health inequalities, being most effective with
disadvantaged children and young people;
• Reduces costs to government around social and public health
issues.
7. According to guidance provided by the PSHE Association, a good PSHE
programme of study should cover three core themes:
• Health and Wellbeing
• Relationships
• Living in the Wider World4
Learning outcomes from these key themes - coupled with confident teaching
methodologies strengthened through consistent teacher training - ensure
pupils’ social development, providing children and young people with
knowledge, confidence and transferrable soft and social skills needed to attain
a successful life and career.
PSHE Improves educational attainment and skills that promote
employability; and
Reduces antisocial behaviour in the school, improving staff retention
and life in the local communities;
8. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in response to
the DfE review on PSHE education proved that social development
programmes help to increase attachment to school, improve academic
2
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/section/78
3
Janet Palmer HMI, Ofsted, at the Associate Parliamentary Group for Parents and Families, House of
Commons, 26 February 2014
4
PSHE Association, Guidance on developing your 2013/14 PSHE Education Curriculum
https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/uploads/media/27/7782.pdf
3. performance, improve social skills, and reduce aggressive and disruptive
behaviour in and outside the classroom. NICE also emphasised that the
success of these programmes is particularly effective when introduced to
children of primary school age.5
9. A 2012 DfE commissioned report on the impact of pupil behaviour and
wellbeing on educational outcomes highlighted that children with higher levels
of emotional wellbeing have higher levels of school achievement. PSHE
education, across its different components, has proved to be essential to
strengthening pupils’ health and emotional wellbeing, risk awareness,
empathy, resilience, assertiveness, communication skills, positive social
behaviours and social norms6
.
10.Other recent reports have emphasised the importance of soft and social skills
– alongside academic skills and knowledge – in ensuring personal growth and
success in the job market and society. A Demos report, The Forgotten Half
(2011) emphasised that soft skills and ‘character’ should be offered in the
curriculum. Research also noted that better character capabilities - including
application, self-regulation, self-direction, self-understanding, social skills and
empathy (all achievable through PSHE) - at the age of 10 were associated
with significant higher earnings at the age of 30.
11.The provision of PSHE and the related learning of transferrable social and life
skills improve resilience, strengthen protective factors and teach how to
manage risks that may be shaping pupils’ lives. Research suggests that the
absence of protective factors and combination of risk factors increase the
chances of an individual’s involvement in different types of risky behaviours7
(including substance misuse, engaging in unsafe sexual activities, risky or
adrenaline-producing activities, disengagement from school, bullying or
unhealthy relationships). Different risk factors and risky behaviours are
interconnected and multiple risk behaviour can lead to poor educational
attainment, poor life-style choices and ultimately impact on individuals’
employability. Research has emphasised:
• Strong association between drinking in young people (binge drinking)
and increased risk of forced sex;8
• Increased probability of not using condoms when under the influence of
substances and subsequent higher risks of teenage pregnancies;9
5
NICE, Review of Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education, NICE draft PSHE education
guidance Recommendations 1&7: based on Evidence Statements (ES); ES 1.6a (Hawkins et al.,
1999, 2005; Catalano 4 et al., 2003; Battistich et al., 2004; Flay et al., 2003) ES 1.6b (Catalano et al.,
2003; Reid et al., 1999; lalongo et al., 1999; Flay et al., 2003; Battistich et al., 2004).
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11673/59913/59913.pdf
6
PSHE Association, What is PSHE and why is it important? https://www.pshe-
association.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=1043
7
Hale D, Viner R, (2013) Trends in the prevalence of multiple substance use in adolescents in
England, 1998–2009. J Public Health.
8
Bellis, M, Marleo, M, Toque K et al. (2008) Contributions of Alcohol use to teenage pregnancy. An
initial examination of geographical and evidence based associations. Liverpool: North West Public
Health Observatory.
9
Royal College of Physicians, (2011) Alcohol and sex: a cocktail for poor sexual health: A report of
the Alcohol and Sexual Health Working Party
4. In a study following young people from 14 to 16 it was found that drinking
alcohol, especially if frequently, was a strong predictor of an increase in
truancy the following year. Drinking was also an indicator of variances in
GCSE grades achieved by pupils: drinking once or twice a week was
associated with scores around 20 points lower (equivalent to 3 grades, or the
difference between an A and a D in one subject), and drinking on most days
was associated with scores around 80 points lower (equivalent to 13
grades).10
Risk management and resilience, learnt through PSHE education, can play a
leading role in ensuring pupils’ safeguarding, educational attainment and
employability.
PSHE reduces social and health inequalities, being most effective with
disadvantaged children and young people; and
Reduces costs to government around social and public health issues.
12.The National Children’s Bureau emphasised back in 2005 how PSHE most
effectively supports inclusion, tackling social and health inequalities.11
PSHE
education and related life skills provide pupils with the right tools to
understand and address difference and diversity within a variety of socio-
cultural or health settings, consequently narrowing potential or existing gaps
around pupils’ self-belief and cultural understanding.
13.International evidence suggests that early intervention programmes focused
on developing pupils’ life skills, increasing school engagement and providing
pupils with the right tools necessary to resist negative social influences, are
effective preventative approaches with good social return on investment.
Some examples are:
• Unplugged: A universal programme for 12-14 year-olds, trialled in
seven European countries, focusing on core ‘life skills’ (critical thinking,
decision-making, creative thinking, effective communication,
relationship skills, self-awareness, empathy, and coping with emotions)
to tackle substance misuse. Evaluation showed significant impact on
pupils’ attitudes: 15 months after programme completion, reductions of
20% for any drunkenness in past 30 days; 38% for frequent
drunkenness; and 26% for frequent cannabis use.
• The Good Behaviour Game: school-focused, based on a
comprehensive social influence approach to manage class behaviour
during lessons. Pupils (6-8 years-old) are divided into teams and may
earn prizes and praise by keeping simple rules for good behaviour.
Evaluation showed significant reduction in disruptive and aggressive
behaviour and improvement in children’s ability to focus and work
independently. In the longterm, the programme halves probability of
young men engaging in risky behaviours (eg drug abuse or
10
Green, R. and Ross, A, (2010) Young people’s alcohol consumption and its relationship to other
outcomes and behaviour. National Centre for Social Research
11
Blake, S and Plant, S, (2005) Addressing inclusion and inequalities through PSHE and Citizenship,
National Children’s Bureau
5. dependence); increases the likelihood of high school graduation by
21% and of college attendance by 62%. The programme also proved to
be effective in reducing stress levels among teachers, consequently
increasing staff retention. The Social Research Unit shows a
cost:benefit radio of 1:26.
• PreVenture: A targeted programme for 13-16 year-olds aimed at
reducing risk taking behaviour by providing students with coping skills
to better manage anxiety, depression and risk-taking behaviours.
Developed in Canada, London schools trials showed high levels of
effectiveness in: i) halving binge drinking rates, ii) reducing shoplifting,
iii) significantly reducing truancy rates, iv) reducing reckless behaviour,
v) reducing depression and panic attacks rates.
Programmes like Unplugged could be delivered within PSHE education,
sharing common spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmental
components and values.
14.We believe that the provision of PSHE education, functioning in line with
preventative educational programmes promoting health and wellbeing, could
significantly reduce costs related to correcting social or public health issues
(e.g. A&E services related to substance use, mental health, teenage
pregnancies, unhealthy diets, etc.) by encouraging the development of
responsible individuals, prepared to make informed choices.
15.The 2012 Chief Medical Officer’s annual report emphasised that PSHE is a
‘bridge between health and education’12
. High-quality PSHE education can in
fact lead to major improvements in Public Health Outcome Framework
Indicators, including reductions in: a) under 18 conceptions, b) excess weight
in 4-5 and 10-11 year olds, c) smoking prevalence in 15 year olds, d) hospital
admissions as a result of self-harm, e) alcohol related admissions to hospital,
and f) Chlamydia diagnosis in 15-24 year olds.13
16.We know that the estimate costs of child obesity to society are £588-£686 per
annum.14
The average life cost of a male problem drug user is £827,00015
whilst the estimated cost to the NHS caused by alcohol misuse is
approximately £3.5 billion per year (about £120 for every taxpayer).16
In this
respect, modelling for NICE (2009)17
concluded that a universal alcohol
misuse prevention programme in schools costing £75 million with only a 1.4%
12
Chief Medical Officer’s Annual report 2012: Our children deserve better: Prevention pays
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-2012-our-children-
deserve-better-prevention-pays
13
PSHE Association, How PSHE supports public health outcomes, https://www.pshe-
association.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=1184
14
Chief Medical Officer’s Annual report 2012: Our children deserve better: Prevention pays
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-2012-our-children-
deserve-better-prevention-pays
15
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
16
Department of Health, Public Health Responsibility Deal, 2013,
https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Generic-RD-Flyer-Final.pdf
17
National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health, 2009,
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11673/49246/49246.pdf
6. reduction in alcohol consumption amongst young people would still be a cost-
effective public health intervention. We believe that prevention is a cost-
effective option and that a well-structured programme of PSHE education,
focusing on core life skills, health and well-being, would clearly prove this.
Why PSHE should be statutory
17.The Department for Education states that: “Personal, social, health and
economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’
education. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and this
expectation is outlined in the introduction to the proposed new national
curriculum”.
18.Our Mentor Youth Advisors, who surveyed more than 1,000 peers in London
as part of the London Youth Involvement Project (2010-2013), highlighted the
importance of PSHE education – however one person names it ‘Pretty Stupid
Holes in Education’. Repeatedly, we heard from these young people that their
experience of PSHE was that it was dull, age-inappropriate or simply non-
existent – an irrelevance to their school.18
19.The 2013 Ofsted report shows a clear correlation between schools which
achieved a high grade for PSHE provision and schools which have achieved
outstanding grades for overall effectiveness. However, Ofsted’s review of
PSHE ‘Not yet good enough’ also highlighted that PSHE provision currently
requires improvement or is inadequate in 40% of schools inspected.
20.The report also makes clear that the lack of ITE (Initial Teacher Education)
training in this subject has a significant impact on the quality of teaching.
PSHE education is currently taught by teachers who are specialists in other
subjects, but have no specialism or training to deal with the sensitive and
complex topics and components of this subject. A recent mapping research
(2013) delivered as part of Mentor’s Alcohol and Drug Education and
Prevention Information Service (ADEPIS) with respondents from over 280
schools across England highlighted that the lack of specialism in PSHE is
normally reflected into varying levels of confidence among teachers and a
lack of continuous learning for pupils.
21.Although PSHE education-related issues are implicitly assessed during
Ofsted inspections19
, the lack of explicit status of PSHE in the Ofsted
framework translates into overall lack of awareness among head teachers and
subsequent neglect of the subject. The non-statutory status of PSHE and the
lack of emphasis in the Ofsted framework give a relatively low priority to the
subject in schools. It is widely acknowledged that schools tend to prioritise
statutory subjects in preparation to Ofsted inspections, to the detriment of
PSHE education.
18
Mentor UK, Safer at School, Drug Education in School, 2013
19
PSHE Association, PSHE Education in the Ofsted inspection framework https://www.pshe-
association.org.uk/resources_search_details.aspx?ResourceId=528
7. 22.The lack of training for PSHE and the low priority attributed to it by at least
40% of schools (this figure could in reality be higher, as the Ofsted report
excluded schools in special measures or with notice to improve) jeopardise
both the quality and quantity of PSHE education in our schools. The ADEPIS
mapping research also emphasised the lack of curriculum time as a key
deterrent to ensure provision of effective PSHE education. The 2013 NASUWT
survey of subject provision confirms the decreasing amount of time dedicated
to PSHE, suggesting a 14% reduction in the level of PSHE planned provision.
23.The ADEPIS mapping research also highlighted a general lack of financial
capacity and resources for both staff training and structured pupils’
assessment (e.g. needs assessment, or pupil behaviour surveys). According
to data collected, only 8% of primary schools and 24% of secondary schools
use surveys to inform their provision of PSHE. The lack of appropriate needs
assessment has a major impact on the quality and effectiveness of PSHE
provision.
24.For the above reasons we recommend that PSHE education is made a
statutory entitlement and that a greater emphasis in the Ofsted framework is
in place for this subject. The statutory status of PSHE will ensure guaranteed
quality and quantity of PSHE provision, securing it a well-deserved place in
the curriculum timetable. The statutory status of PSHE should also be
translated into subject specific Ofsted inspections, meaning that PSHE
provision will be consistently monitored and quality standards will be higher
and equal at national level.
Mentor recommendations
25.We recommend that PSHE education is made a statutory entitlement for
every child.
26.We recommend that the Ofsted framework of inspection places a greater
emphasis on PSHE Education, by making SMSC a core judgement,
highlighting schools’ mandatory requirements to provide a balanced and
broadly-based curriculum that
- ‘promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development
of pupils at the school and of society;
- prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and
experiences of later life’
(Section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and Academies Act 2010)
27.We recommend that ITE training on PSHE becomes an essential requirement
for teachers responsible for the provision of this subject.
Concluding comments
28.We believe that the statutory entitlement to PSHE education is a huge
opportunity to ensure a brighter future for our children and young people.
Statutory entitlement to PSHE education is one of the key steps which will
promote equal opportunities for all children at a national level, regardless of
8. socio-cultural status or geographical location. Our children and young people
are growing up in a fast changing society, where future challenges and
opportunities are yet unknown. To quote Janet Palmer HMI, National Lead for
PSHE Education at Ofsted:
“A good Personal, Social, Health and Education programme helps build and
improve the knowledge and skills that pupils will need to cope and contribute
to an unknown and ever changing future”.
29.Every child is entitled to receive equal educational and developmental
opportunities within formal education, and if this is effectual for other subjects,
it should also be so for PSHE education. As previously shown, PSHE
education not only benefits our pupils, but also our society and economy. We
therefore call on the Education Committee to support us, and other
organisations responding to the inquiry at issue, in making the case for a
statutory entitlement and an improved monitoring of PSHE Education in our
schools.
Mentor, 5 June 2014