Gambling to become compulsory element of PSHE education

Education on gambling will become a compulsory element of the UK Department of Education's personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum from the start of the next school year.

From September 2020 schools will be required to teach children about the risks of gambling, such as the risks of addiction and the potential to get into debt through the activity.

While guidelines on the new curriculum were first published in June last year, and the Department of Education advised schools to adopt them from September 2019, it is only in 2020 that it becomes compulsory.

It comes as part of a broader drive to educate young people on the similarities between the online and physical worlds, with a view to ensure they are able to be a discerning consumer of information online.

To support the roll-out the PSHE Association, which provides advice, training and resources to teachers across the country, has developed a series of lesson plans. The most recent, published in late February and developed in partnership with GambleAware, aim to give minors a better understanding of risk and probability.

Previous plans set out how to recognise risky behaviours and understand the role and influence of advertising.

Minister of state for school standards Nick Gibb explained that the Department of Education wanted to help schools ensure young people were equipped with knowledge to prepare them for adult live, including risks associated with harmful behaviour and addiction.

“Many schools, through existing Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, already teach about the dangers of gambling – including the psychological and financial impact,” Gibb explained. “But I want to ensure every child understands the risks, which is why we are making Health Education – including issues such as addiction and cumulative debt – compulsory from September.”