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In the news recently, it was reported that three-quarters of firms believed that a lack of work experience was the reason many young people were unprepared for work.

Despite these opinions, it was also revealed that half of the firms surveyed did not offer work placements themselves.

The British Chambers of Commerce survey of 3,000 firms found nine out of 10 thought school leavers were not ready for employment, and went on to call for universal work experience in all secondary schools.

The school curriculum in England states that: “Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based and which prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life”.

However, it was revealed this week that the government’s decision to withdraw funding for work experience has led some schools either to drop it or to introduce a charge for parents.

So it seems that the price for work experience is ranging from £35 to £50 (to cover administration costs), but the cost of not doing it could be far higher if pupils are not sufficiently prepared for the world of work.

In a survey by Schools Improvement Net, readers were asked: “Would compulsory work experience for all school children be a good idea?” – and the results to date indicated that over 76% of respondents agreed.

This week, they also polled their readers with the question: “Is it reasonable to charge a student for participating in work experience?” The overwhelming result (to date) was “No, it should be free for all students”, with over 93% of respondent agreeing.

It seems then, that there is a divide between what the government wants and is prepared to fund, and also between the desire for schools to provide the experience against the reality of the cost.

This may only be the beginning of the changes to work experience in schools, but it is likely to have a greater impact over time.

If you would like to add you opinion to the Schools Improvement Net survey, you can see the latest results and take part via their website.

To share your thoughts on work experience or to tell us how your school manages the process, please use the comments section below.

The Telegraph has recently speculated about how a renewed focus on sex ed in schools has or is applying subtle pressures to teens to engage in sexual activity. Could it be the case that teachers themselves are, by the very nature of their status, unknowingly giving 'seals of approval' and a level of acceptability to casual sexual behaviour? Are we looking at a peer pressure equivalent?

It's a difficult line to draw in the sand...when daily twitter campaigns from youth groups campaign for yet more openness and more in depth education about sex. As well as this, there are also almost weekly media reports of experts professing the dangers of young people accessing porn and the lifelong affects it can have on them that seem to strengthen the need for more and better quality, maybe even compulsory SRE teaching.

Should we find a happy medium or thunder along the 'more is better' line of thinking regardless of the few casualties along the way, after all it is correct to assume that at some point in their lives students will become sexually active... its lifelong learning we are dealing with here, children probably don't actually 'need' to know half the stuff they are taught in the here and now, but it is still valuable learning and important for their future. Perhaps what's in question should be, 'when' rather than 'if' is the right time to teach certain SRE topics.

So what evidence is there to suggest that the advances in sex ed teaching is applying pressure to teens. We could start by analysing recent teen pregnancy statistics and STI data which could give an indication of increased sexual activity. In fact, currently, we are experiencing the lowest teenage pregnancy rates in this country since 1969. You'd be forgiven for thinking a major contributing factor could be down to the more open and student led style of SRE teaching that is happening in some schools, however the STI stats blow this theory out of the water by reporting a considerable rise in cases in 2012 and even more perplexing is the fact that again it is the under 25's that have the highest infection rates. We could glean from this that actually it is the methods and readiness of certain types of contraception that influence the prevention of unwanted pregnancies opposed to the continuing unhealthy sexual habits (as reported by Gov.uk) of young men.

The only other way of measuring the affects of increased SRE is to ask students directly. In my opinion The Telegraph's speculation is incorrect and the young people I work with do not feel this way. As part of my teaching we look at, in detail, the abstinences movement and study this from a Christian and Non-Christian viewpoint - which students find surprising as it is supported by some celebrities that they wouldn't have associated with this approach to sexual relations. I believe that this gives a balanced approach to the subject and shows students alternative thinking to relationships. Incorrectly it’s sometimes assumed that if you talk about something more, it will happen more. Professionally I don't believe this to be the case. So in answer to my own question about 'when' rather than 'if', I can honestly say that the FPA offers a very sensible and workable framework for teachers that can be used in planning to great effect. They have guidelines that clearly set out key stage benchmarks and learning milestones that students and teachers of SRE should work around. This, along with needs analysis and student consultation will insure positive SRE lessons for all our students going forwards.

Have Your Say - Let us know your thoughts on this subject using the comments section below. You can also find a range of related lesson plans in our PSHE section.

I recently read an article that reported on a new study carried out by the Centre Forum Mental Health Commission that suggested that happiness classes should become part of the school curriculum. The article highlighted some very valid and interesting issues such as factors that cause young people to develop a mental health disorder and the fact that, as a consequence, some turn to cannabis, alcohol or self-harm.

In another piece, there was a call for the inclusion of issues regarding sexual abuse and violence into the school curriculum based on the idea that the number of cases of sexual abuse and rape being recorded would reduce if young people were made aware and understood the issues.

Nowadays, possibly as a consequence of ubiquitous nature of technology and the 24-hour news it offers, it would seem that a week doesn’t pass by without a politician, scientist or even a celebrity, calling for awareness of a particular issue to be added to an already crammed-full PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education – also referred to as PSE, PSHCE and PSHEE) curriculum to ensure it is delivered to young people in a classroom.

The question that I found myself reflecting on is how the ever-evolving PSHE curriculum can be delivered to students, in a manner that ensures good pedagogical practice.

In my role as a supply teacher, I get to visit numerous schools that employ different approaches and innovative practices that allow this to happen and it is worth sharing these ideas as PSHE departments in other schools may wish to try them out themselves.

‘Stop-the-clock’ days

Periodically, in one school I attend, they have ‘Stop-the-Clock’ days. This is when for whole or even just half a day, the normal subject timetable is abandoned and the tutor groups within different year groups focus on different, age-related PSHE subject areas. So, year 8’s may look at healthy-living including lessons on healthy-eating and the dangers of smoking. Year 10’s may study aspects of sexual health such as relationships, STI’s and contraception.

The cross-curricula approach

A number of schools in which I have taught employ a cross-curricula approach to the delivery of the PSHE subject matter where certain aspects are explicitly integrated into specific subject area. This could be where sexual health and contraception is naturally combined with the delivery of reproduction within the science curriculum. Relationships could be explored within the drama curriculum or the subject of drug taking could be considered when focusing on fictional writing or poetry.

Form time

Another option, other than dedicated PSHE lessons, is to deliver PSHE content during form time. As these tend to be relatively short, then the activities may need to be stretched over a number of periods or constricted to short discussions etc. As a consequence of limited time, this approach does have the benefit of holding the attention of those students who might have a tendency to go off-task in longer PSHE lessons. The disadvantage however, is that form teachers may not have the expertise in delivering certain subject areas - as an ICT teacher, I confess to finding the delivery of content on contraception to my form of lively year 8’s very uncomfortable and challenging.

Do you have any other innovative suggestions regarding the delivery of the PSHE curriculum? Does your school or department take a different approach? Please comment below and share your ideas so that other teachers and departmental head may learn and develop their practice.