Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2022
950. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education if student organisations (details supplied) have been included to date and will be included in the future in the work being done to reform relationship sexuality education and social, personal and health education curricula respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29189/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraStudents have been centrally involved in the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's review of Relationships and Sexuality Education in Irish schools that began in 2018 and continue to be involved in consultations regarding an updated curriculum. As part of the consultation process that formed a key part of the review of RSE, NCCA met with student groups including the ISSU, Comhairle na nOg groups and representatives from LGBTQ youth groups. In addition, focus group meetings were held with children and young people across 23 schools, representing a diversity of types of schools – both primary and post-primary. And finally, as part of the review, more than 500 students contributed their views via an online consultation questionnaire. The full report from the review is available on the NCCA's website: ncca.ie
ncca.ie/media/4319/report-on-the-review-of-relationships-and-sexuality-education-rse-in-primary-and-post-primary-schools.pdf.
Since then, the work of the curriculum development groups has continued to be informed by ongoing consultations with young people. Specifically, focus group consultations were conducted in school settings to inform the background paper for an updated Junior Cycle Social, Personal and Health Education curriculum, of which RSE is a component, and students were consulted again when the background paper was published. The consultation report on the background paper and brief for the review of Junior Cycle SPHE is also available at ncca.ie.
Relationship Sexuality Education; RSE (ncca.ie)
There will be further consultations with students in the Autumn as part of the consultation on the draft updated Junior Cycle specification – this will involve both face-to-face meetings and gathering feedback via online tools. Ongoing consultation with children and young people also forms a key part of the work as developments progress at primary and senior cycle levels.
Furthermore, I recently introduced secondary legislation which ensures that the ISSU is now represented on the NCCA Council.
