School Curriculum: PSHE

Debate between Lord Aberdare and Lord Nash

Thursday 19th March 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Nash]

My noble friend makes a very important point about deaf and disabled pupils. I am sure that the PSHE Association is focused on this, but I undertake to her to discuss it with the association personally.

[Lord Aberdare (CB)]

My Lords, the Government argue that schools should have the flexibility to determine their own curriculum outside core subjects, but the result is that most schools are not teaching essential skills such as first aid, which not only gives students valuable life skills and confidence but would save many lives, as shown by countries where such training is mandatory. Does the Minister not agree that making PSHE statutory, including subjects such as first aid, and indeed citizenship, would result in students emerging much better prepared for their lives as citizens?

[Lord Nash]

The national curriculum creates a minimum expectation for the content of a curriculum in maintained schools. Quite deliberately, it does not represent everything that a school should teach. It would not be possible to cover all that when there are so many groups wishing things to be included in the curriculum, but many schools already choose to include CPR and defibrillator awareness as part of their PSHE teaching. We will work with the British Heart Foundation to promote its call push rescue kit to schools, including through our social media channels and the summer term email.