Special Educational Needs: Secondary Education
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that PSHE education is consistently embedded as part of the curriculum in all year groups in secondary education.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
All schools should teach personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, drawing on good practice, and this expectation is outlined in the national curriculum framework document.
The department published revised relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance on 15 July, which sets out a comprehensive and age-appropriate curriculum for all pupils in England. The revised guidance will become statutory on 1 September 2026, replacing the existing guidance which has been in force since 2020. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education. We know that many schools choose to teach some of the content from the curriculum in their PSHE or similarly described programme for their pupils.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. Their final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, followed by the government’s response.
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