The Pan-Staffordshire Personal, Social, Health & Economic (PSHE) Education Service today (13 November) hosted its inaugural conference, sharing information about best practice, support and resources, and young people’s wishes for PSHE education, with the region’s schools.
PSHE Education helps children and young people develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society.
The service was first funded by the Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime in December 2021 to support the development and delivery of age-appropriate, quality assured and consistent PSHE education across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The conference celebrated the extension of the PSHE Education Service in September by the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office following its successful first three years.
Staffordshire Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Commissioner, Ben Adams said: “The PSHE Education Service has made headway in helping to ensure quality and consistent PSHE lessons are being delivered across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
“The conference has been an excellent opportunity for partners and PSHE Leads to celebrate the work achieved thus far and I look forward to seeing how the service can further shape PSHE delivery over the next four years.”
As well as celebrating local work currently underway, conference attendees heard from various guests including: Dr Polly Haste, His Majesty’s Inspectorate (HMI) for PSHE, Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) and Citizenship; Nicky Tapley, Associate Assistant Headteacher for Personal Development and Mental Health at Endon High School; and Staffordshire Youth Union, who shared their experiences and wishes of PSHE Education.
Since being established, the PSHE Education Service has had many successes including:
- Established a monthly PSHE Digest (newsletter) with over 900 individuals signed up
- Developed 34 PSHE Professional Packs written to support education staff to have more confidence in topics supported by the PSHE curriculum.
- Published 11 Best Practice Guides to help with the consistency and quality of development and delivery of PSHE education.
- Co-designed Staffordshire Police’s PSHE offer to schools with 156 PCSOs trained so far.
Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services (SCVYS) Chief Executive, Phil Pusey said: “It has been great for SCVYS to be involved in this initiative, helping to bridge the gap between formal and informal education which often happens in youth settings delivered by the voluntary sector.
“One of our values is a commitment to excellence, and this service has certainly delivered that for schools, youth settings, partners and funders over the first 3 years, and will strive to build on that over the next 4.”
Chair of the Stoke-on-Trent Association of School, College and Academy Leaders (SASCAL), Dr Mark Stanyer said: “Leaders of schools in Stoke-on-Trent are all extremely excited to be involved in this initiative. Helping young people develop their cultural capital so that they contribute positively to society and thrive as individuals, is very much a priority for head teachers and principals of schools in Stoke.
“We are proud to be working alongside so many influential leaders and providers across the region so that our young people benefit from a personal, social, health, and economic education programme that is fit for the 21st century; this conference is a great opportunity to celebrate the successes that have already been achieved.”
To find out more about the Pan-Staffordshire PSHE Education Service visit: https://pshestaffs.com/
