Up-to-date Personal & Social Education welcomed by Ross Greer
The Scottish Greens today (23 Jan) hailed the prospect of up-to-date Personal & Social Education (PSE) being rolled out in Scottish schools following a long-running campaign by education spokesperson Ross Greer MSP.
After his election in 2016, Mr Greer successfully pressed for Holyrood's Education Committee to carry out an inquiry into the issue, which in turn led to the actions committed to by the Scottish Government today. The committee inquiry found serious gaps in the provision of essential topics such as consent-based sex & relationships education, mental health education and workplace rights.
Today, Education Secretary John Swinney confirmed that the government will take forward the review’s recommendations. These include improvements to consent-based sex & relationships and mental health education, life skills and a co-design programme which allows young people to shape the PSE curriculum around their needs.
Ross Greer MSP said:
"PSE is crucial to every young person's education, helping them with everything from relationships to their mental health. I know that in reality it is often seen as an afterthought though and wildly inconsistent delivery across the country is badly failing hundreds of thousands of young people. Action on this was the first thing I called for after my election, putting this process in motion, so I’m satisfied to see the progress we’ve made.
"Strong PSE provision, co-designed by young people to reflect what they know they need, should be seen as fundamental to Curriculum for Excellence. That also means giving teachers the time they need for professional development, so we are supporting those charged with delivering it."