Home / Call to reprioritise personal development in schools
Call to reprioritise personal development in schools
EB News: 17/07/2024 - 09:59
A standard assessment to gather children’s personal development knowledge towards the end of primary school should be introduced in response to the rise in major societal issues impacting young people, according to a new campaign - Lessons4Life.
Lessons4Life also calls for a rebalancing of primary curriculum priorities to make space for teaching personal development effectively; and for longer term investment in personal development education, including teacher training and ongoing professional development.
The campaign, which has been launched in response to the worrying increase in growing threats and pressing public health concerns around issues such as knife crime, childhood obesity and mental health, comes as the new Labour government outlines its commitment to delivering the “best life chances for every child”.
“More early education for primary school children, including additional focused lessons, is necessary to address these issues – waiting until secondary school is too late,” explained Hayley Sherwood, CEO of 1decision, who is leading the Lessons4Life campaign.
“Assisting children with personal development is crucial as it nurtures emotional resilience, healthy relationships and essential life skills. It empowers them to face life’s challenges, make informed choices, and become well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to society, setting the foundation for a fulfilling and successful future. Personal development must be given much greater prioritisation than it currently receives, and there is a strong case that progress and attainment in this area can and should be measured.
“This is because we need to focus more on prevention, not cure, to reduce the significant societal issues we are facing in this country. Our children are vulnerable, and we should be doing everything we can to protect them from growing threats in society. PSHE, RSE, British Values, Protected Characteristics and Character Education have all been thrown at schools with too many grey areas around assessment and curriculum coverage. Our position is that ‘better’ resourced personal development will directly impact on these issues – but that schools need even more support to inform their focus.”
The Lessons4Life campaign has three asks. The first is to introduce an assessment to gather children’s personal development knowledge towards the end of primary school. The second ask is to find a way to rebalance primary curriculum priorities to make space for teaching personal development effectively. The final recommendation is to reinvest attributable cost savings on related societal issues made in the longer term into personal development education.
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