Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Paragraph: 58
Encouraging positive body image during childhood and adolescence must be a priority.
Recommendation
Encouraging positive body image during childhood and adolescence must be a priority. We commend the Government for introducing body image into the RSHE curriculum last year and hope this creates an opportunity for schools to address the concerns young people have about their body image. We recommend that the Department for Education regularly reviews the new RSHE curriculum to ensure that it is having a positive impact on wellbeing and decreases levels of body dissatisfaction. Additionally, the Department for Education should explore other policy initiatives to encourage schools to take a ‘whole school approach’ to encouraging positive body image.
Paragraph Reference:
58
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum became compulsory in September 2020, with flexibilities introduced so schools did not have to start teaching until the summer terms 2021, to accommodate COVID-related school closures. Through statutory health education secondary-aged pupils will be taught about the similarities and differences between the online world and the physical world. This will include content on the impact of unhealthy or obsessive comparison with others online, including through setting unrealistic expectations for body image, how people may curate a specific image of their life online, how information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online. The RSHE curriculum supports the development of a whole school approach to wellbeing and contributes to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Ofsted will inspect schools on their RSHE provision under the personal development category which includes assessing how schools develop pupils’ confidence, resilience and knowledge so that they can keep themselves mentally healthy. We have developed teacher training modules to build teacher confidence in delivering RSHE and will, subject to approval, undertake quantitative and qualitative research to understand perceptions of the RSHE support material (provided by the DfE and wider sector), and their confidence and capability to deliver the new subjects. Ofsted will inspect schools on their RSHE provision under the personal development category which includes assessing how schools develop pupils’ confidence, resilience and knowledge so that they can keep themselves mentally healthy. We have developed teacher training modules to build teacher confidence in delivering RSHE and will, subject to approval, undertake quantitative and qualitative research to understand perceptions of the RSHE support material (provided by the DfE and wider sector), and their confidence and capability to deliver the new subjects.