 |
| Life Lessons, photo by Flickr user niXerKG |
As we said in our
evidence to the committee, despite sustained and important falls in both the
prevalence and problems that young people face as a result of their drug and
alcohol use, young people in England are amongst the mostly likely to have been
drunk before the age of 13 years old.
Addressing these risks in a developmental way is an
important component of an effective preventative response and so we are pleased
to support the call for PSHE to be a mandated part of the school curriculum.
This year Public
Health England report that more than a quarter of all those under 18 who
entered drug treatment were identified and referred to specialist services by schools,
colleges and pupil referral units; over half were engaged in mainstream
education and a further one in five were in alternative education.
PSHE education can help support pupils in developing the
values they bring to health decisions, and in developing the resilience that
will allow them to bounce back when mistakes are made.
Earlier this year the new
psychoactive substances expert panel made a similar recommendation, for
PSHE to be given statutory status, DrugScope hopes that the government will now
listen to the evidence collected by the Education Select Committee.
