Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 May 2021
162. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education her plans to introduce legislation to amend the Education Act 1998 to remove the role of individual school’s ethos in the curricula and teaching of relationships and sexual education and social, personal and health education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25121/21]
View answerAccess to sexual and health education is an important right for students. Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary schools and in post-primary Junior Cycle. Relationships and Sexuality Education (or RSE) is required at all levels, from primary through to Senior Cycle. My Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in SPHE syllabuses and guidelines.
All schools are required to have an RSE policy that is developed in consultation with the school community, including school management, parents, teachers and students as appropriate. The school’s programme for RSE is developed and taught in the context of the school’s RSE policy. Schools are required to teach all aspects of the RSE programme, including family planning, sexually transmitted infections and sexual orientation. It is important to note that the ethos of the school should never preclude learners from acquiring the knowledge about the issues, but ethos may influence how that content is treated.
The Programme for Government states that ‘ this Government will develop inclusive and age appropriate curricula for Relationships and Sexuality Education and Social, Personal and Health Education across primary and post-primary schools, including an inclusive programme on LGBTI+ and make appropriate legislative changes, if necessary’
I am committed to this aim and my Department continues to work closely with the NCCA to best give effect to it. In this regard, the NCCA have recently published learning resources linked to the Primary SPHE Curriculum on their online toolkit which supports teaching and learning linked to the current curriculum; and work on developing a new Junior Cycle curriculum begins in September.
