Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent it is their policy that maintained secondary schools and academies have a duty to develop the social and interpersonal skills of all pupils in their care.

Schools have a duty to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of their pupils. This may be done through the curriculum, extra-curricular activities, or the whole school ethos. Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is a non-statutory subject that can contribute to the development of pupils’ social and interpersonal skills. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and we have made this expectation clear in the introduction to the new national curriculum.

We also want to ensure that all young people develop a range of skills and attributes, such as team-working, resilience and grit, which underpin success in education and employment. This is why the Department for Education is investing £5 million to expand the capacity of schools and voluntary organisations to deliver character education.

The Department for Education has published guidance on promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils for both maintained and independent schools, which can be found online.