Health education: part or all of the PSHE and citizenship framework?

Abstract

Recent alterations to the Key Stage 1 and 2 National Curriculum in England have located health education as a strand within a non‐statutory framework of Personal, Social, Health education and Citizenship. Starting from the premise that health education should adopt a health‐oriented approach, this paper finds the aforementioned health component lacking as a basis on which to operationalise primary school health education. Using medicines education as an example, a disease/risk factor‐oriented programme is critiqued and an alternative, health‐oriented perspective proposed. This alternative demonstrates how basing health education around every component of the personal, social and health education and citizenship framework can engender a health‐oriented approach to health education at Key Stages 1 and 2. Finally, two cautionary notes are made concerning the adoption of this approach.

Citation

Adams, P. (2003), "Health education: part or all of the PSHE and citizenship framework?", Health Education, Vol. 103 No. 5, pp. 272-277. https://doi.org/10.1108/09654280310499046