Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2016 to Question 56818, what evaluation her Department has made of the effectiveness of the teaching of (a) health and nutrition and (b) personal finance advice in schools.

State-funded schools are held to account for the standard of education they deliver through the data published in the school performance tables, and through inspection. As part of an inspection, Ofsted will consider whether the school is providing a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of pupils and prepares them for adult life. The new national curriculum, which came into effect in 2014, sought to strengthen education in state-funded schools, including the teaching of health and nutrition and personal finance matters.

In the new National Curriculum we strengthened the teaching of nutrition, the impact of diet on health and practical cooking skills through our reform to the curriculum. In September 2016 we introduced a new GCSE in food preparation and nutrition that requires pupils to acquire an understanding of the scientific principles behind food and nutrition. This new GCSE will be assessed for the first time in summer 2018.

We have made significant changes to the National Curriculum – and the new mathematics and citizenship GCSE subject content – to integrate financial capability. The new GCSEs in these subjects will be assessed for the first time in summer 2017.

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is a non-statutory subject that can encompass many areas of study. It equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to make safe and informed decisions, and to prepare for life in modern Britain. Schools should seek to use PSHE education to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the National Curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance. This includes support for teaching on financial education, and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.