A campaign calling for renewed focus on, and greater investment in, children’s personal development education has been heard by MPs and senior officials in Westminster.
Lessons4Life, which aims to change how children in England are equipped with the knowledge, life skills and resilience to thrive so they can positively contribute to society, regardless of their background, was invited to attend a House of Lords event organised by the Centre for Research into the Education of Marginalised Children and Young Adults (CREMCYA) at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.
At the event, Lessons4Life’s Head of Campaign Strategy Hayley Sherwood and campaign partner John Rees (PSHE Solutions) presented a series of recommendations directly to parliamentarians. The gathering was sponsored by Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE.
Tackling the prevalence of growing issues such as knife crime, obesity, poor mental health, drug misuse, cyber risk and crime, attendance in school, low academic attainment and other socioeconomic challenges, Lessons4Life is calling for:
- Department for Education (DfE) policy changes – Consolidating multiple policies into a single, cohesive policy to enable schools to simplify and effectively deliver personal development and life skills education with clear outcomes for children.
- Introduction of measurement framework – Creating a national measurement framework to identify gaps in children’s personal development and life skills knowledge, enabling targeted interventions with quantifiable progress.
- Comprehensive training for educators – Investing in high-quality training programmes to ensure all educators and support staff are equipped to deliver personal development and life skills education effectively.
- Committed funding and support – Dedicated funding to provide schools with access to ongoing professional support and resources to ensure the delivery of high-quality personal development and life skills education.
“Without robust and consistently delivered life skills education, the challenges faced by young people often compound as they grow older, leading to significant social and economic costs,” Hayley said. “The Westminster event was a moment to amplify the voices of those often unheard and to advocate for actionable change in policies that affect children, young adults, and the practitioners who work tirelessly to support them. As the conversations unfolded, we felt a profound sense of purpose in the shared commitment to shaping a future where every child and young adult has access to quality education.”
To ensure that children develop the essential skills for long-term academic and social success, assessments are vital for identifying gaps and understanding how to build on existing knowledge. Lessons4Life is currently gathering evidence and data for a comprehensive whitepaper to encourage decision-makers to increase the time in curriculum to deliver valuable life skills lessons. The campaign is also asking for teachers and parents/carers to sign a petition, with a view to prompting a parliamentary debate on the “urgent need for change” in how children are supported with personal development.”
Last week’s BBC documentary, Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis, again highlighted the need for early intervention, and to “provide proper education and meaningful opportunities, ensuring young people grow up in a society that values them, one where they can and should thrive”, explained fellow Lessons4Life campaigner Sophie Hearn. There were 50,973 recorded knife crime offences in the 12 months to June 2024 – a 78% rise from 29,200 offences in 2014.
Meanwhile, in other societal issues, there has been a 53% increase in yearly referrals to young people’s mental health services since 2019, and over 600 emergency referrals a week. In addition, 50% of mental health problems are established by the age of 14, with 10% of 5-16 year olds now having a clinically diagnosable mental problem.
The challenge of childhood obesity is another pressing public health concern for the UK. According to Public Health England, 23.4% of children in Year 6 are obese. Diabetes currently costs the NHS £14 billion per year (equivalent to £25,000 a minute). 90% of this is spent on the treatment of diabetes type 2; the preventable type.
“We aim to build a stronger case for the need for increased personal development funding and support for schools,” Hayley said. “However, as we move forward, we need to increase the amount of pupil data included to truly demonstrate the scale and urgency of the issue. To ensure we make the greatest possible impact and achieve our aims, we are seeking more secondary schools to participate in our personal development transition quiz which will help us to identify gaps in children’s personal development and life skills knowledge from primary.
“This study is a mutually beneficial opportunity, as it provides schools with valuable insights into their pupils’ strengths and areas for improvement.”
The growing number of partners and supporters in the campaign include Blue Cow Education, Children’s Alliance, Early Years Academy, Encompass Education, HeadteacherChat, Health & Wellbeing in Schools, National Association for Primary Education, Persona Education, PD Network UK and TeacherToolkit. Lessons4Life is also being backed by Jen MacDonald, PSHE Consultant at Lancashire County Council.
Watch an interview with Hayley Sherwood, CEO of Stevenage-based 1decision, about the Lessons4Life campaign.
