PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education. It is a school curriculum subject in England that aims to help children and young people stay healthy, safe, and prepared for life and work in modern Britain. PSHE education focuses on strengthening the knowledge, skills, and connections to keep children and young people healthy and safe and prepare them for life and work. It is an important and necessary part of all pupils education.
PSHE covers a wide range of topics, including personal wellbeing, relationships, sex education, mental health, physical health, financial education, and careers. It is not a statutory subject in primary schools, but the Department for Education (DfE) makes it clear that PSHE is an ‘important and necessary’ part of children’s education. In secondary schools, Relationships Education is compulsory, and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (both mental and physical) became statutory from key stages 1 to 4 in September 2020 under the Children and Social Work Act.
Schools are expected to cover the economic wellbeing (and careers) of PSHE education. Although PSHE is a non-statutory subject, all schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and do not need additional central prescription.
