Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education intends to consult on whether to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic education compulsory in all schools; and if so, when.

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 places a duty on the Secretary of State for Education to make Relationships Education mandatory in primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) mandatory in secondary schools through regulations. The Act also provides powers for the Secretary of State to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE), or elements therein, mandatory in all schools - in the future and subject to careful consideration.

The Department will be conducting a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education, RSE and PSHE, involving a wide range of stakeholders. From this, we will develop the regulations and accompanying statutory guidance for Relationships Education, RSE and, should we decide to make it mandatory, PSHE. We will be making any regulations and statutory guidance subject to public consultation.

We will set out shortly more details about the engagement process and the work to consider age appropriate subject content. We will ensure our work results in a clear understanding about the full set of knowledge that Relationships Education, RSE and PSHE should provide for young people to support them to be safe, healthy, happy and successful.