How PSHE education can help pupils to learn about consent
PSHE Association response to Children’s Commissioner consent report
The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report on consent, released today, raises big concerns about a vital issue for children and young people growing up in England. The report stresses the importance of a whole school approach to teaching about consent, with PSHE education taking a central role. We are therefore pleased to release a draft (for consultation) of our practical guidance for teachers today on covering the concept of consent through PSHE education.
Through the consultation process, we want to hear from colleagues working at a local and national level both about what they think of the guidance and what further help they need in addressing consent through PSHE education. This consultation will be open until 20 December, and we will be analysing responses over Christmas so that we can release a final document early in the New Year.
The draft guidance document is available to download from our website and we welcome both high-level and detailed feedback from colleagues working at a local and a national level. We will also be seeking to take lessons from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner report into the final document.
PSHE Association Chief Executive Joe Hayman said:
“PSHE teachers share the concerns raised in today’s report, as they are expected to grapple with these issues on a regular basis in the classroom. The report shows how important it is to address concepts such as consent not just in the abstract, but also through scenarios which feel relevant to pupils. That is what we have sought to do through our draft guidance document which we are releasing for consultation today. We will really welcome comments from colleagues working at both a local and a national level to help us make our guidance as strong as possible”.
