PSHE Project

Coleman, Hale and Layard

1

Aims and objectives of the project

To carry out international review of evidence-based programmes relating to life skills for secondary age pupils

To identify the methodological problems involved in evaluating such programmes

To highlight the main facilitators/impediments to evidence-based PSHE

To establish which programmes could be recommended in the UK

To recommend a notional programme of Life Skills education as part of a future PSHE curriculum

(Secondary, Personal Wellbeing)

2

Background

PSHE: Personal Wellbeing Key Concepts

Personal Identities

Healthy lifestyles

Risk

Relationships

Diversity

3

Background

A starting point: Good Childhood Guide, components of successful PSHE (Layard & Dunn, 2009):

Understanding and managing your emotions

Understanding others and caring for them

Love, sex, parenting and child development

Healthy living: exercise, diet, alcohol, drugs, smoking

Mental Illness

Your career and contribution to the world

Understanding the media

Politics and responsibilities

Moral Philosophy

4

Background

Health and Wellbeing in Schools: Policy

Ofsted Inspections

Safety, Emotional Awareness, School Ethos, Health

Every Child Matters

Being healthy, Staying safe, Enjoying and achieving, Making a positive contribution, Achieving economic stability and wellbeing

2007 education bill

Schools have a duty to promote wellbeing

Bill to make PSHE statutory

5

Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL)Framework for the delivery of social and emotional skills

Implemented in 70% of schools

Evidence-based?

Humphrey, 2002: “SEAL (as implemented by schools in our sample) failed to impact significantly upon pupils’ social and emotional skills, general mental health difficulties, pro-social behaviour or behaviour problems.”

6

SEAL evaluation concluded:

“Guidance should be produced to enable schools to make informed choices about the adoption of social and emotional learning programmes beyond SEAL; this guidance should have a clear focus on the evidence base to support particular programmes and the contexts in which they are effective.”

7

Three problems in implementing evidence-based PSHEEvidence

Content

Context

8

Evidence

SEAL: “A greater emphasis needs to be given to the rigorous collection and use of evidence to inform developments in policy and practice in this area”

Coleman (2009): “It is clear that there is a scarcity of good quality research evaluating the effectiveness of programmes promoting well-being in the school setting”

Outcomes variables: Knowledge? Attitudes? Behaviours? Health?

9

Content

Formby, 2011: “[There is] a lack of clear or shared understanding on the nature of and rationale for PSHE education amongst teachers and schools.”

“Disaster-driven” PSHE

Are evaluated programmes applicable to PSHE available

How well do outcomes match main PSHE outcomes?

10

Context

“Teachers know the children they teach, they know their strengths and limitations, their social backgrounds and their aspirations and should be empowered to use their professional judgement to develop PSHE education in ways that are accessible to all the pupils they teach.” (Association for Teachers and Lecturers)

“The flexibility of SEAL actually [emerged] as a barrier” to effective implementation (Humphrey, 2010)

Variability of input (training of teachers, fidelity of programme, implementation support)

Availability of programme? Cost?

Australian/American programmes in the UK? Modifications needed?

11

Areas relevant to PSHE:

12

Systematic reviews suggest effects in following areas:

Social and emotional wellbeing (Blank et al., 2009)

Substance use (Cuijpers, Jonkers, Weerdt, & Jong, 2002)

Bullying and violence (Farringdon & Tfofi, 2009)

Sexual health (Shepherd et al., 2010)

Media literacy (Bergsma & Carney, 2008)

Emotional disorders (Merry & Spence, 2007)

Conduct disorders (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011).

British Evaluations of Programmes that appear to “Work”Resourceful Adolescent Program (Stallard; Bath)

SHARHP (McKay; Belfast)

FRIENDS (Liddle; Sterling)

UKRP (Challen, Layard; LSE)

13

Our methodology

Literature search

Review of Programmes

Visit US and Australia

14

Constructing an evidence-based syllabusInterpreting PSHE aims

Structure of syllabus

Interpreting evidence

Identifying programmes

15

Selection Criteria

Evidence-based

Available in UK

Practicalities

PSHE relevant

No strict inclusion/exclusion criteria

16

Evidence-based

Comparator

Knowledge/attitudes vs. Behaviour and health

Replications

Quality of evidence

Sample size

Attrition

Baseline comparability

Follow-up times

Significant programme effects

17

Available to UK

Available!

Applicability in UK

Target audience

Transferable

Established in UK

Training/Ongoing Support

18

Practicalities

19

Delivery format (teachers vs. “outsiders”? Curricular vs. whole school?)

Length of programme

PSHE: One hour per week

Training requirements

Cost

PSHE Relevant

Guided by Good Childhood Guide

Categorised by evidence (outcomes), rather than content

20

A model for PSHE

Diet/nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle

Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Education

Emotional Health and Wellbeing

Safety Education

Sex and Relationships Education

21

A Model Curriculum

22

  The packa ge (hours )

  E motiona l Hea lth and wellbeing

S ex and rela tionships educa tion

Hea lthy and S a fety (including S a fety, Drug s and Diet E duca tion)

Yea r 7 The UK Res ilience prog ramme (18)

Life skills tra ining (12)

Yea r 8   P a rents Under Cons truction (14)

Media Ready 1 (7)

Media Ready 2 (8)

Yea r 9 F riends for Life (9)

S cience of Menta l Illnes s (5)

S a fer choices (10) S HAHRP (6)

Yea r 10 Mood Gym (4) Rela tionship smarts (13)

S a fer choices (cont.; 10)

S HAHRP (cont.; 4)

An example

FRIENDS for life

Originated in Australia

CBT-based

Multiple evaluations (depression, anxiety)

UK providers and trainers

Evaluated in UK (Liddle, 2010)

Trainers and support available in the UK

Teacher-led

23

Limitations

Curricular Only (whole-school approaches)

Teacher led

Dependent on non-British programme

Training

Limits of evidence-base (variable quality)

Too prescriptive

Feasibility

Outdated?

24

Moving Forward

Report

Dissemination

NCB

PSHE Association

Pilot/Evaluation?

Get evidence-based programmes into schools

25

Comments?

26