Speaking as the report was published, Eric Carlin, Chair of the Drug Education Forum, said:

The Drug Education Forum believes that every child should have an entitlement to excellent health education, and we welcome the findings and recommendations from Sir Alistair?s review. We urge the government to accept them in full and to bring forward legislation as quickly as possible.

Our survey of the drug education profession last year showed us that one of the critical factors in getting good drug education in schools is enthusiastic school leadership. We therefore endorse Sir Alistair?s call for the DCSF to ?raise the profile of PSHE education amongst school senior leadership teams?.

However, we know that making PSHE subject statutory can?t, on its own, bring about the changes to young people?s health education that we want to see. We are therefore delighted to see the calls for further research into effective practice and for investment in Initial Teacher Training and continuing professional development. Ends

úÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ The Drug Education Forum provided the secretariat to the Advisory Group on Drug and Alcohol Education, who?s report, Drug Education: An Entitlement for All (2008) called for PSHE to be made a statutory part of the national curriculum.ÿ As part of the review of drug and alcohol education the Forum carried out a survey of over 350 drug education commissioners and providers.