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Alongside genetic, environmental, medical and societal factors are the personal skills that facilitate good health. 1 Underlying the decision to eat a salad or a hamburger, to put on a condom or hope for the best, to reach for a beer or reach out to a friend, to follow instructions on a medical leaflet or discard it, to trust vaccine regulators or a Facebook post, is a skill–or the absence of one.

Instilling such skills is the focus of school health education, and the evidence shows that it can do so effectively, with life-long impact on health. 2, 3 Encouragingly, health (and relationships and sex) education became mandatory in all English schools in 2020, with support from parents, teachers and health professionals. 4, 5