School Curriculum: PSHE

Earl of Listowel Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Nash]

The noble Baroness feels very strongly about it, but the Labour Party had 13 years to make it statutory and did not do so. We are currently considering the findings of the Education Select Committee report. We have launched a communications campaign to promote the selection of high-quality resources via our social media sites. They include PSHE Association programmes of study, “Sex and Relationships Education for the 21st Century” and various other products.

[The Earl of Listowel (CB)]

Will the Minister praise the previous Government’s success in reducing teenage pregnancy to its current low, while recognising that compared to the continent we are still well behind? Will he keep a very open mind about this issue of a statutory requirement for PSHE? After all, the Education Select Committee in the other House recently recommended in its report that there should indeed be statutory provision in this area.

[Lord Nash]

The noble Earl knows that I always keep an open mind when it comes to young people. One of my proudest moments during my two years in this House was working with him to put the “staying put” arrangements in place.