PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health, and Economic education, and is a subject taught in UK schools. It covers topics like personal and health education, relationships and sex education, and skills for life beyond education such as finances and career advice.
What is PSHE?
The PSHE Association (a national body for PSHE education in England) breaks the guidance down into three core themes:
- Health & Wellbeing
- Relationships
- Livingin the Wider World
In Scotland, PSHE educational is known as ‘Health & Wellbeing’, in Wales it is ‘Personal & Social Education’, and in Northern Ireland it is ‘Personal Development and Mutual Understanding (PDMU)’ for Key stage 3, and ‘Learning for Life and Work (LLW)’ for Key stage 4.
What is RSE/RSHE?
RSE/RSHE stands for Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) or Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), and is now mandatory in all schools in the UK. It covers Health education for Key stage 1-4, Relationships Education at Key stage 1 & 2, and Relationships and Sex Education for Key stage 3 & 4.
You can find the current statutory UK guidance on RSE here
Draft new guidance of the RSE curriculum for consultation was published in May 2024, and received widespread criticism. This guidance is under review, but there is no confirmed timescale as yet.
Is PSHE & RSE Compulsory?
The Children and Social Work Act (2010) states that from September 2020 RSE education is compulsory in all schools in the UK. Although PSHE remains a non-statutory subject, schools are now obligated to teach Relationship, Sex, and Health education for appropriate age levels.
Guidance from the Department of Education on PSHE currently states:
‘To allow teachers the flexibility to deliver high-quality PSHE we consider it unnecessary to provide new standardised frameworks or programmes of study. PSHE can encompass many areas of study. Teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and do not need additional central prescription.
However, while we believe that it is for schools to tailor their local PSHE programme to reflect the needs of their pupils, we expect schools to use their PSHE education programme to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions.
Schools should seek to use PSHE education to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.’
So why is PSHE important and what are the benefits of learning about PSHE and RSE subjects?
We believe that by learning about topics such as physical and mental health, drugs and alcohol, crime and justice, rights and discrimination, environmental and global issues, as well as citizenship and online safety, children and young people gain knowledge, as well as a deeper understanding of society and the world around them.
By participating in PSHE, students develop essential skills that support their growth and prepare them for adult life. They are better informed to make real-life decisions, think critically, as well as having greater emotional development and overall wellbeing.
Why is PSHE important at Independence?
At its core, Independence has always been about equipping young people with the essential tools they need to navigate and make sense of the world around them. We believe in empowering young people with knowledge about issues that directly affect them, as well as giving them confidence for life after school.
We also feel it is important to empower teachers to feel confident in teaching PSHE, providing them with the necessary tools to be able to provide a supportive learning environment where students feel empowered to share, reflect, and grow.
How are Issues books and Issues Online relevant to PSHE?
The books serve as an essential companion to PSHE and RSE in schools. While there is no specific national curriculum for PSHE, our books are aligned with the RSE guidance. We also follow guidance from the PSHE Association for England, the Curriculum for Excellence for Scotland, and the Curriculum for Wales. This alignment ensures that the content of our books is both relevant and supportive of the educational requirements, helping teachers meet essential learning objectives. The books are also suitable for use in other subjects too, such as Humanities, English, Social Studies, Modern Studies, Sociology, Religion, Politics, Science, Philosophy and Ethics (RPE), and Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ). And they can play a role in tutorial time as well as student’s wellbeing during school life.