Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 January 2024
38. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will review the well-being element of the secondary school curriculum, as advocated by Cycle Against Suicide; if she will reshape and resource it to improve the outcome for students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4334/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister, I am committed to inclusive education for all. My Department is fully committed to creating safe and supportive environments in schools that are welcoming and inclusive for every student.
The area of wellbeing and the promotion of positive mental health is a priority for my Department. This includes promoting emotional wellbeing, resilience and positive coping skills, which support children and young people to manage the complexities of modern life.
My Department’s approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health is set out in its Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice, which informs the ongoing work in the area of student wellbeing and mental health. The approach in the Wellbeing Policy is founded on research and best international practice in relation to how schools can best support the wellbeing and mental health of children and young people.
Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory part of the Primary and Junior Cycle curriculum, which provide vital opportunities for the development of children’s wellbeing in the physical, social, emotional and intellectual domains.
An updated Junior Cycle SPHE specification was published by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in May 2023 and was rolled out for first years in all schools from last September.
The updated Junior Cycle specification provides clear direction on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that all students should gain during the three years of Junior Cycle SPHE. It places a strong focus on the development of important life skills that young people need growing up in a fast changing and complex world. The SPHE specification is grounded in values of respect, equality, inclusivity, responsibility, dignity, compassion and empathy.
The updated Junior Cycle SPHE specification consists of four strands: ‘Understanding Myself and Others’, ‘Making Healthy Choices’, ‘Relationships and Sexuality’, and ‘Emotional Wellbeing’.
The learning outcomes of the ‘Emotional Wellbeing’ Strand include that students should be able to ‘discuss the fluid nature of emotional wellbeing and ways to nurture and protect it’, to ‘consider the impact of stress and draw upon a variety of techniques to help self-regulate emotions and cope with the day-to-day stresses of life’, and to ‘discuss ways to support themselves and others in challenging times and where/how/when to seek support, if needed’.
Work is ongoing to update the SPHE specification for Senior Cycle and a draft specification was published for consultation in July 2023, with the consultation running until 3rd November last.
The draft specification includes a strand called ‘Health and Wellbeing’. The learning outcomes of this strand include that students should be able to explore the factors that influence mental health and wellbeing, to recognise unhelpful thinking patterns and negative self-talk, to recognise the signs and symptoms of stress and anxiety in themselves and others and recognise when help should be sought, where to go and how to access help if needed.
Also, in March 2022, I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience.
These reforms include initiatives to spread the assessment load for students and do so in a way that enhances student wellbeing, to ensure that students and their wellbeing are at the forefront of everything we do.
For this reason I have decided that, Additional Assessment Components (AACs) will be introduced across all new and revised subjects to spread the assessment load more evenly. AACs will be worth a minimum of 40% of the overall available mark, and will be different to a terminal written examination. They will be externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission
These components will also allow for a greater range of students’ skills and competences to be assessed, and will enable the assessment load experienced by Senior Cycle students to be spread more evenly, with a reduced emphasis on the final examinations in June of Sixth Year.
In relation to primary schools, work to develop a draft updated specification for Wellbeing, including SPHE, at Primary level, is being undertaken currently by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, or NCCA. This work follows on from the publication of the Primary Curriculum Framework in March 2023, which set out proposals for the redevelopment of the primary curriculum. It is intended that public consultation on a draft specification will happen this year, with the intention of introducing in schools in 2025. There will be an opportunity for anyone with an interest in this area, including issues relating to healthy and unhealthy behaviours, to make their views known and give their input and I strongly encourage you to do so.
Schools are encouraged to use a reflective, school self-evaluation approach to identify and prioritise the needs of its own school community in relation to the promotion of wellbeing and mental health, and to respond to meeting those needs. To support schools in this work the Department funded Teacher Education Support Service, Oide, provides training to schools to ensure that the promotion of wellbeing is at the core of the ethos of every school. The role of Oide’s Health and Wellbeing teams is to support leaders, teachers and schools in the development and promotion of students’ emotional, social, personal and physical health and wellbeing in the context of a positive health-promoting school environment.
In addition, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department provides a comprehensive, school-based psychological service to all primary and post primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the wellbeing, academic, social and emotional development of all learners. NEPS have lead responsibility for Wellbeing Policy Implementation and NEPS teams offer training and guidance for teachers in the provision of universal and targeted evidence-informed approaches and early intervention to promote children’s wellbeing, social, emotional and academic development.
A dedicated wellbeing portal is also available, bringing together all the wellbeing supports and resources that have been developed by the Department and the Department’s support services, which is available under ‘Wellbeing for Education’ on gov.ie.
