Extracts from Westminster Hall debate on Statutory PHSE Education - Feb 6
Wednesday, 7 February 2018 08:21
Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP):...I received
a report last week from the National Education Union and
UK Feminista, which conveys the extent of the problem of sexism in
our classrooms. The report highlighted that sexual harassment is
prevalent in schools, with over a third of female students being
subjected to some form of sexual harassment. Sexist language is too
often dismissed as banter, with two-thirds of female students and
teachers experiencing or...Request free
trial
(Paisley and Renfrewshire
North) (SNP):...I received a report last week from
the National Education Union and UK
Feminista, which conveys the extent of the problem of sexism in our
classrooms. The report highlighted that sexual harassment is
prevalent in schools, with over a third of female students being
subjected to some form of sexual harassment. Sexist language is too
often dismissed as banter, with two-thirds of female students and
teachers experiencing or witnessing it on a weekly basis. Less than
a quarter of our female students think that their school takes
sexism seriously. Those stats present a worrying picture of what
life is like for too many female students...
...The Scottish Government’s “Equally Safe” strategy to prevent and
eradicate violence against women and girls addresses the need to
eliminate the systematic and deep-rooted inequality that women and
girls face in their daily lives. The report completed by
the National Education Union and UK Feminista
shows that many of these deep-rooted behaviours are established
very early at school. Sexism in schools is endemic, but not
inevitable. The UK Government and others have to make PSHE a
statutory part of the curriculum to ensure that every student
receives education about the importance of positive, healthy and
equal relationships. We need to get serious about adopting a
zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment...
Mrs (South Shields)
(Lab):...Teachers tell me that PSHE is seen as an add-on,
typically taught for an hour every fortnight by someone whose job
it is not, or by an outside agency brought in to tick the box. What
they tell me is backed up by evidence from the Department for
Education’s own data, which shows that time spent teaching PSHE
fell by 32% between 2011 and 2015. They also tell me that what
statutory SRE and PSHE need is specialist teachers, that it needs
to be part of the overall teacher training programme, and that any
qualified teachers whose role will include teaching it need to be
appropriately equipped and resourced—a view shared by
the National Education Union. Will the
Minister tell us what budget the Department has set aside for
that?
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
|
