School, college and community-based personal, social and health education, focusing on sexual health and alcohol

Date published:  Expected September 2009
State: Unpublished

PSHE is a planned programme of learning opportunities and experiences that helps young people develop as individuals and members of families and communities (PSHE Subject Association 2007). It aims to promote emotional and social development and health and wellbeing in order to equip children and young people with the knowledge and practical skills for healthy, safe, fulfilled and responsible lives. A central component of PHSE is health literacy, which is the achievement of a level of knowledge, personal skills and confidence to take action to improve personal and community health by changing personal lifestyles and living conditions (WHO 1998). PSHE is taught in schools throughout years 1–11 (key stages 1 to 4). There is no formal framework for providing PHSE for those aged over 16 years.

Almost two-thirds of young women and over half of young men aged 15–18 years (64% and 56%, respectively) ranked school as the preferred setting for sex and relationship education (SRE), irrespective of ethnic group (Testa and Coleman 2006). However, 40% of young people rated their school SRE as poor or very poor (UK Youth Parliament 2007). A recent report on PSHE for young people aged 11–16 acknowledges that despite improving provision, pupils’ needs have not always been sufficiently identified or addressed (Ofsted 2007).

Areas that will be covered:

School and college-based interventions that influence delivery of PSHE and influence children’s and young people’s knowledge, values, attitudes and behaviour concerning alcohol, sexual health and relationships. They will also cover health literacy and personal skills in order to improve resilience (such as resisting peer and social pressure) and deter early sexual activity and/or alcohol misuse.

Groups that will be covered:

Children and young people aged 19 years and under in full-time education, children and young people who are looked after or leaving care aged 21 and under, and those aged 25 and under with learning difficulties. This includes those in:

  • Primary and secondary schools
  • Sixth form and further education colleges
  • Special schools
  • City technology colleges, city academies, pupil referral units, secure
  • Training and local authority secure units, and young offender institutions

More information on the Personal Social and Health Education guideline, including the full guideline, can be found on the NICE web site.

For general enquiries about this guideline please email: enquiries@ncc-wch.org.uk