Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 May 2022
131. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education the estimated full-year cost to roll-out positive body image and anti-bullying training as part of relationships and sexuality education and social, personal and health education school curriculum. [25218/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is not possible to provide an accurate cost for the task of addressing the issue of bullying and addressing body image concerns) due to the breadth of activity which is being carried out on the topic across my Department.
Social, Personal and Health Education, or SPHE for short, is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary schools and in post-primary Junior Cycle.
Following a review of Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE), the NCCA established two development groups, one for primary and one for post-primary, to oversee the work of developing an updated curriculum materials in this area and supporting the development of guidance material for schools.
The immediate focus of the NCCA work has been on creating support materials for teachers as part of an Interim Guidance Toolkit. This Toolkit aims to support effective teaching and learning of SPHE/RSE and to deepen teachers' understanding and skills in addressing important and sensitive topics.
The NCCA Toolkit is being expanded in 2022 to include further age and stage appropriate guidance for teachers on how to address these topics within the SPHE classroom.
In tandem with this work, preparation for the broader redeveloping and updating of the SPHE curriculum has begun. Updated curricula will be developed for Primary, Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle.
A draft revised Junior Cycle specification is due to be agreed at NCCA Council in early Summer, with a public consultation to follow. The final revised specification is due to be completed by the end of 2022. This will be followed by the redevelopment of Senior Cycle and Primary SPHE specifications respectively.
My Department has also commenced a review of the 2013 Action Plan on Bullying and the 2013 Anti-bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-primary Schools.
This review is taking account of developments and relevant research since the action plan and procedures were published in 2013 and is specifically considering areas such as sexual harassment and identity bullying, including gender stereotyping and gender identity bullying in both the physical and online sphere, among other areas. The review will also give detailed consideration to the recommendations contained in the Oireachtas Joint Committee Report on School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health. Training of school staff will also be considered as part of the review.
Arising from the 2013 Action Plan on Bullying, my Department has, since 2014, provided the following: an Anti-Bullying Parent Training Programme which is run by the National Parents Council Primary to provide anti-bullying training sessions for parents throughout the country to enable them understand the many ways in which bullying can take place, which received over €30,000 from the Department in 2021; the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC) located in Dublin City University receives an annual grant of approximately €50,000 towards its research and training programmes. The National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre also receives an annual grant of approximately €25,000 for the running costs and further development of the national anti-bullying website www.tacklebullying.ie, which provides a single point of information and support for young people, parents and teachers affected by bullying behaviour.
In addition to this, my Department provides a grant of approximately €58,000 per annum for the Stand Up! Awareness Week , an anti-homophobic and anti-transphobic bullying campaign, organised by BeLonGTo.
My Department promotes the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) and supports for teachers and principals. The majority of this support is provided by the national teacher education support services and by local education centres. The national teacher education support services are the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT), National Induction Programme for Teachers (NIPT) and the Centre for School Leadership (CSL).
PDST Health and Wellbeing Advisors provide bespoke, tailored in-school support for SPHE and RSE in a range of ways that best suit the needs of the school.
CPD for SPHE within the remit of the JCT support service is specifically informed by the NCCA Short Course in SPHE and the associated Assessment Guidelines. The content of the CPD is also informed by teacher feedback on the SPHE CPD provision.
The cost for the provision of in-service training for teachers depends on the mode of CPD delivery such as face-to-face, online, blended, in school support and whether the use of school closure days is considered or not. The provision of sub-cover is also another factor and is the highest cost driver. Other associated costs relate to venue and catering costs, travel and subsistence costs, resources and facilitators. The proposed CPD delivery is yet to be finalised and once this is done the cost of implementation can be determined.
A one day face to face event for 30 teachers can be estimated at €7,500 assuming substitute cover is made available for those teachers attending. The PDST and JCT made a number of supports available to schools in the 2020/21 school year.
Excluding substitute costs, funding provided to the main teacher education support services and education centres for continuous professional development for teachers and Principals in 2021 was €20.3m.
The PDST and JCT made a number of supports available to schools in the 2020/21 school year.
In addition to this, I recently announced my Department's intention to provide funding for a new postgraduate programme to upskill registered post-primary teachers teaching SPHE/RSE.
This programme will provide a pathway for progression for post-primary teachers interested in developing their skills in teaching SPHE/RSE and in so doing build capacity and leadership within the teaching profession in relation to the teaching of SPHE/RSE.
The intention is to provide teachers with access to a new postgraduate course to be developed for teachers in post-primary schools teaching SPHE/RSE. Schools and teachers will be supported to access the upskilling programme and course fees will be covered by Department funding.
This programme will upskill registered post-primary teachers in SPHE/RSE. In the course of the programme, it is intended that each participant will be provided with high quality pedagogical content knowledge and will be empowered to become an effective and enthusiastic teacher of this subject. The design and delivery of the programmes should recognise recent curricular and other reforms.
The learning for participants will be grounded in an approach that affirms the right of children and young people to a comprehensive and inclusive SPHE/RSE that is inclusive of all genders, sexualities, ethnicities, religious beliefs, social classes and abilities/disabilities.
While the acquisition of specialist knowledge is important, the development of other core competencies particular to teaching SPHE/RSE are equally critical. In this context, a focus on teachers’ own personal development and on the development of a skill-set that is needed for the SPHE/RSE classroom is a key requirement of any upskilling course. All modules should take cognisance of the relationship between these three core competencies: personal development, skills and knowledge.
My Department has recently engaged with higher education institutions (HEIs) and it is hoped that a number of HEIs will be interested in designing and developing an upskilling programme.
