We are committed to helping schools improve their planning and delivery of this important area of the curriculum. In addition to the Department's Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) Guidance (2000), all teachers of SRE are encouraged to undertake the Government funded continuing professional development programme for Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE). The programme, which is also open to community nurses, supports standards in the delivery of PSHE teaching including SRE. To date, over 5,000 teachers and nurses have benefited from the programme.
Other measures to support high quality SRE provision include:
(i) DfES funding for the recently launched subject association for PSHE. The association will provide support and advice to teachers on all areas of PSHE, including SRE;
(ii) Increased funding (£13.2 million) in 2007-08 (for the National Healthy Schools programme. This key programme for driving up standards in PSHE, requires schools, for the purposes of accreditation, to demonstrate that they have a SRE programme in line with DfES guidance; and
(iii) Detailed guidance to teachers from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, covering how schools can evaluate what young people are learning through PSHE, including SRE.