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School Curriculum

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 May 2018

Tuesday, 8 May 2018

Ceisteanna (172, 173)

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

172. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the controls his Department exercises in regard to outside groups that are invited by schools to help in delivering various aspects of the curriculum. [20036/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Thomas Byrne

Ceist:

173. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has a memorandum of understanding with national organisations including, but not limited to, national sporting organisations or other outside organisations governing their participation within schools in helping deliver parts of curricula. [20037/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together.

It is the responsibility of each individual school to select the materials and resources that it will use to support its implementation of any part of the curriculum including SPHE or PE. Where an outside organisation is engaged by a school, they should be engaged in the context of delivering a planned and comprehensive programme in the school. They must not be brought in to replace the schools delivery of the curriculum but to enhance it. Interventions and external inputs should be evaluated by the school principal and teachers in terms of the content, approach, methodology and proposed learning outcomes.

National and international research has consistently shown that the classroom teacher is the best placed professional to work sensitively and consistently with pupils and that s/he can have a powerful impact on influencing pupils’ attitudes, values and behaviour in all aspects of health education in the school setting.

Every school is required to adhere to the Department’s 'Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools' and must ensure that it meets any Garda vetting obligations that arise in respect of persons who work with pupils in the school. My Department provides guidelines to schools on the use of external providers for SPHE in particular. The guidelines were issued to schools in circulars 0022/2010 and circular 0023/2010 for primary and post-primary schools respectively.

In the context of the work my Department is undertaking to develop a Wellbeing Policy Statement for Schools, the guidelines to schools will be revised to provide more comprehensive and strengthened guidance to schools on the effective use of external programmes and facilitators relating to all aspects of Wellbeing.

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