This page has been set up by the Public Health PSHE Lead to support PSHE subject leaders, teachers, and other professionals to deliver high-quality PSHE education to our pupils in Buckinghamshire.

This distinct curriculum subject is vital in supporting all pupils to manage their lives during and beyond the Covid crisis. A key outcome for PSHE education is that children and young people know when, where, and how to access support if they need help.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) gives children and young people the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, safe, successful and purposeful lives. When taught well, PSHE education helps pupils to achieve their full academic potential and supports them to leave school equipped with skills they will need throughout later life. A new evidence review by Pro Bono Economics highlights ‘very strong evidence’ that high-quality PSHE learning ‘has a positive impact on academic attainment’. 

A holistic and curriculum-focused approach to PSHE in schools gives pupils the skills to manage their own on and offline lives, and successfully navigate new experiences and challenges. Research from the PHSE Association states ‘Pupils agree that PSHE education is a vital part of their preparation for life, with 92% of those who have been taught the subject believing all young people should receive high-quality PSHE lessons.’  

It is an exciting time for PSHE:

• The Children's Social Work Bill (April 2017) has made relationships education (primary) and relationships and sex education (RSE) in secondary compulsory in all schools in England from September 2020. This has resulted in most of PSHE becoming statutory for school-aged pupils in state-funded schools.
• The Green Paper addressing children and young people’s mental health (December 2017) highlighted the need for more to be done to address mental health in schools and it is proposed that all schools will have a mental health lead by 2021.
• Careers guidance has also been in the spotlight and schools will now use the Gatsby benchmarks and provide at least 7 opportunities for secondary students to meet with employment providers and have a trained Careers Lead by 2021
• The need to educate children and young people to keep safe and successfully manage their online lives is being addressed  in the statutory aspects of PHSE.
• Whilst PSHE has not achieved statutory status across the board, Health and Relationships/RSE are now statutory for years 1 – 11. For further details please see the PSHE GUIDANCE tab above. View the final statutory guidance
• The updated KCSIE ( 1^st September 2022) contains several references to statutory RHSE and is both protective and preventative education that safeguards children and young people.

This information was updated in August 2022.