2.0 RECALL AND PERCEPTIONS OF GUIDANCE AND PSHE
This section reports respondents' views on Guidance and PSHE. It begins by reporting what they could recall of Guidance and PSHE (2.1), followed by their attitudes towards and general engagement with the subjects (2.2).
2.1 Recall of Guidance and PSHE
2.1.1 Health education at primary school
Primary school respondents were familiar with "health education" and " PSD". Exactly how these lessons were implemented in the school timetable varied, although they often appeared to be 'blocked'. Health education sometimes appeared to be taught as part of a school-wide initiative such as 'Health Week', or linked with external events such as 'Choices for Life'. In most cases, lessons about health were delivered by a class teacher, although one group of boys who attended school in a rural area said that the school nurse occasionally took their lessons on personal health.
When asked what specific topics they covered as part of 'health' at primary school, respondents mentioned a range of topics including drugs, alcohol, healthy eating, the human body, sex education, personal safety and crime. In one school, drugs, smoking and bullying were perceived to be the most frequently covered topics:
"P7s had drugs, mostly. But then we went onto smoking, then we went onto bullying."
Male, P5-P7, School A, Primary, Statutory
Some older respondents were also able to recall health education at primary school. Mostly, they remembered having learnt about smoking and prescribed medicines, although they did also remember receiving some lessons about alcohol and controlled drugs. One group of respondents who attended an independent school did not recall any lessons about controlled drugs while at primary school.
2.1.2 Guidance and PSHE at secondary school
At secondary schools, health and social issues were addressed in Guidance or Personal, Social and Health Education ( PSHE) lessons. Some independent school pupils called it Social Development. Respondents generally tended to refer to this class as 'Guidance' or ' PSHE' or to use the terms interchangeably. AS it was not always possible to distinguish which subject respondents were referring to, or whether the distinction was apparent to respondents themselves, the remainder of this section will discuss Guidance and PSHE together apart from where it was clearly that only one of the subjects was meant.
During the early stages of secondary school, pupils described receiving these lessons once per week, usually during a session lasting approximately 35-40 minutes. The frequency of Guidance and PSHE teaching appeared to reduce as respondents progressed through the school. Guidance and PSHE classes tended to be delivered by appointed guidance teachers who were given responsibility for teaching the guidance course as well as offering support and advice to pupils on an individual basis:
"We have got a guidance teacher who teaches you, but if you have any problems then you go and see her."
Male, S2, School E, Secondary, Statutory
"The guidance teacher was the one that, if you ever got into trouble, he would talk to you about it."
Female, 17-18, School D, Secondary, Statutory
Guidance was perceived to be slightly different from other subjects in that teachers seemed to be selected for it on the basis of skills and personality rather than specific qualifications:
"They apply for it and they're assessed on their competence."
Female, 17-18, School H, Secondary, Independent
"I'm not sure if they actually get specific qualifications."
Male, 17-18, School C, Primary, Statutory
"I think they were picked because of their strictness or their friendliness and probably how long they've been there, so they know the people."
Female, 17-18, School D, Secondary, Statutory
However, other respondents thought that Guidance teaching had nothing to do with experience or skill, but was simply a task that was shared among all teachers, with each teacher periodically taking a turn:
"I think it's like a rota. Certain teachers do it certain years."
Female, 17-18, School F, Secondary, Statutory
Respondents recalled covering a wide range of topics in Guidance and PSHE, with bullying, sex and relationships being the most salient. Other topics included drugs, healthy eating, fitness, 'feelings' and hygiene. Several respondents commented that, from fourth year onwards, guidance lessons shifted from a focus on health and relationships to studying for exams, planning for future careers and further study:
"The focus then, it wasn't necessarily on like drugs and stuff, it was on, we done stuff like drive and ambition and stuff."
Female, 17-18, School H, Secondary, Independent
Respondents' descriptions of how Guidance/ PSHE was taught suggested that there was a strong reliance on the use of videos to deliver the guidance programme. Other methods mentioned included worksheets/booklets and class discussions.
2.2 Attitudes Towards Guidance and PSHE
It was notable that Guidance/ PSHE was never mentioned as a favourite subject, nor as a particularly disliked subject. The low level of salience perhaps reflected a feeling that Guidance was not seen as a 'proper' lesson and had a lower status than more important and examinable subjects like English and Maths. The fact that Guidance/ PSHE seemed to move arbitrarily around the timetable in some schools reinforced the impression that it was a low status, low priority subject. Rather than being valued as something 'different' - concerned with feelings rather than facts, an emphasis on confidentiality, more open and relaxed - it was often not taken seriously by pupils, and instead seen as an opportunity to "take it easy" or have a "skive":
"I thought that was just a waste of time to be honest."
Male, 17-18, School C, Primary, Statutory
"People just think of it as a skive and basically have a chat."
Male, 17-18, School C, Primary, Statutory
"We don't like PSE, it's rubbish."
Female, S2, School F, Secondary, Statutory
One respondent commented that pupils did not really pay attention during Guidance/ PSHE lessons:
"Not very attentive, it's a lot more sort of jokes and comments and things."
Female, S3, School H, Secondary, Independent
There were several factors that seemed to mediate respondents' attitudes towards Guidance and PSHE. Again, the quality of teacher-pupil relations were important. As with other subjects, lessons were more enjoyable in cases where teacher-pupil relations were strong and where teachers were seen to be generally enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the topic. Some respondents felt that they had a fairly good relationships with their guidance teachers, whom they perceived as more relaxed and approachable than some other teachers:
"They don't shout at you as much, they just talk about why you have been bad and that. They are usually a games teacher."
Male, S2, School E, Secondary, Statutory
Some respondents expressed disappointment at the apparent lack of planning that went into the Guidance/ PSHE programme. They viewed it as repetitive and poorly structured, and felt that topics were often presented to them in an isolated and fragmented way. Passive teaching methods were most often used, which were seen to be convenient for the teacher but boring and uninspiring for the pupils:
"Most of the time, it was mostly one video for sex, one video for drugs, one video for alcohol, and that was it."
Male, 17-18, School F, Secondary, Statutory
Attitudes towards Guidance and PSHE were also influenced by the extent to which the various topics covered were perceived as interesting and useful.. Across all age groups, it was notable that bullying was frequently mentioned as a memorable topic in Guidance and PSHE lessons. Compared with some other topics, coverage of bullying appeared to have had a strong impact on respondents and encourage them to reflect on their own behaviour and the way that they behaved towards other pupils. Lessons on sex and relationships were also well remembered, although perhaps more for the embarrassment than for the learning involved:
"Embarrassing, in front of girls!"
Male, P5-P7, School A, Primary, Statutory
"With the sex education stuff we have to watch these disgusting videos."
Female, S2, School F, Secondary, Statutory
Several older respondents commented that they found that the information they were given about sex was a little too basic:
"Years ago we got the sex education and that but we always got keyed up on stuff like that so, we sort of knew all about it before she had to tell us."
Male, 17-18, School C, Primary, Statutory
Respondents from Catholic schools felt that they had very limited coverage of sex education, but did recall drugs being covered.