Government response to sex education report is "feeble"

16 July 2015

Neil Carmichael, Chair of the House of Commons Education Committee, comments on the Government response published today to Life lessons: PSHE and SRE in schools - a report published in February 2015 by the previous Education Committee.

Chair's comments

"The response made by the Government today is disappointing.
Ministers entirely sidestep the call made by MPs in the closing months of the last Parliament to give statutory status to PSHE.
They also reject or brush over nearly every other recommendation made by the previous Education Committee in their key report published five months ago.
It is unclear why it should have taken the Government so long to publish such a feeble response.
The inquiry found the Government's strategy for improving PSHE and sex and relationships education in schools to be weak. Yet there is nothing in this response to reassure Parliament – or young people – that the situation will now improve.
Ministers know that PSHE requires improvement in 40% of schools, yet they appear to see no urgency in tackling this.
I am confident that the new Committee will want to pursue this matter with ministers, making use of any new evidence and questioning the Secretary of State further in due course."

Further information

Image: iStockphoto