Mr. Eamonn Moran:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to make this opening statement. The Department of Education and Skills welcomes the opportunity to address the ancillary recommendation of the Citizens' Assembly relating to sexual health and relationship education, which states "Improvements should be made in sexual health and relationship education, including the areas of contraception and consent, in primary and post-primary schools, colleges, youth clubs and other organisations involved in education and interactions with young people."

The Department has already provided a written submission to the committee which sets out the current provision of sexual health and relationship education in the primary, post-primary and higher-education sectors. I propose, therefore, to make a short opening statement, although, along with my colleagues, I will be happy to engage with the committee during the subsequent discussion and address any of the items identified in either the opening statement or in our written submission. The statement is organised in two parts: first, I will set out what is required of schools in the context of sexual health and relationship education, and how the Department supports schools to meet that requirement; and, second, I will describe briefly our monitoring of compliance, the outcomes of that monitoring and recent initiatives which can help and improve the quality of provision.

I will begin by outlining what we require schools to do. Access to sexual and health education is an important right for students. Schools have a responsibility to provide for this, importantly, in consultation with parents and having regard to the ethos of the school. Social, personal and health education, SPHE, is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary schools and in post-primary up to the end of the junior cycle. Relationships and sexuality education, RSE, is required at all levels, from primary to senior cycle. The Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in SPHE and RSE syllabuses and guidelines, as well as in other support material.

The primary level SPHE curriculum currently used in schools was published in 1999. Its purpose is to foster the personal development, health and well-being of the individual child, to help him or her create and maintain supportive relationships and to enable children make safe and healthy decisions now and in the future. At post-primary level, the SPHE curriculum framework for junior cycle was published in 2000. It provides students with the opportunity to develop the skills and competence to take care of themselves and others and to make informed decisions about their health, personal lives and social development.

RSE is not taught as a distinct programme or subject in primary schools or in junior cycle. Instead, it forms an integral part of the SPHE curriculum at both levels. At senior cycle, a school’s RSE programme may be taught as a distinct programme or delivered in the context of an SPHE programme or another subject, such as religious education, biology, science or home economics. Primary schools are also required to fully implement the Stay Safe programme, which addresses physical, emotional and sexual abuse. It aims to increase resilience by giving children knowledge, skills and strategies in an age-appropriate manner, which is an important precursor to understanding the concept of consent in an adult sexual relationship when they get older.

All schools are required to have an RSE policy that is developed in consultation with the school community, including management, parents, teachers and students, as appropriate. A school’s programme for relationship and sexuality education is developed and taught in the context of its RSE policy. It is important to note that the ethos of a school should never preclude learners from acquiring the knowledge about the issues, but ethos may influence how that content is treated.

Contraception or issues relating to consent are not explicitly mentioned in the primary SPHE curriculum or in the RSE programme. The focus is on developing assertive skills, personal self-efficacy and an understanding how one’s body works. This lays the foundation for later discussion of specific issues in a manner appropriate to the developmental stage of the pupils. At post-primary level, schools are required to teach all aspects of the RSE programme, including family planning, sexually transmitted infections and sexual orientation. Elements of the programme cannot be omitted on the grounds of school ethos. However, all aspects of the programme can and should be taught within the ethos and value system of a school as expressed in its written RSE policy.

It should be noted that, under legislation, the higher-education institutions are autonomous bodies and the Department does not prescribe a programme in RSE at this level. The majority of higher-education institutions provide students with information on sexual health and additional links to further information and support on relationships, sexual education and mental health issues. Information is provided by both the institutions’ student’s unions and student services medical centres. Several higher-education institutions also provide classes in sexual consent, giving students the opportunity to talk about positive forms of sexual communication.

I will now discuss the ways in which the Department supports schools in meeting their requirements in respect of RSE and SPHE. A range of actions have been taken by the Department to support the implementation of SPHE and RSE. The Department has published policy guidelines for relationships and sexuality education to support schools in developing RSE policy. These provide clear guidance on engaging with the school community and on sharing the school’s policy on RSE, recognising that a partnership approach to RSE helps to ensure that children are provided with a consistent experience and are able to make connections between life at home, in the school and in the community. This is considered to be a very important requirement. Sample templates for RSE policies are provided for schools to consider when drafting their own policies.

An RSE support service and a separate SPHE support service are available to schools. An extensive programme of continuing professional development, CPD, opportunities has been provided to support teachers in the implementation of RSE and SPHE programmes in post-primary schools. Over several years, the Department and the support services have also developed a wide range of teaching materials, particularly in the area of RSE. This work has been done in partnership with other Departments and agencies, including the HSE, the Gay and Lesbian Education Network, GLEN, and the crisis pregnancy programme. It should be noted that schools have discretion regarding the resources that they use to teach SPHE and RSE, and that these are used in accordance with the school’s policy.

I will now move on to the second part of the statement, which addresses the ways that the Department monitors compliance in this area. It is the responsibility of a school's board of management to ensure that RSE is taught in the school. The inspectorate conducts robust quality assurance of provision in SPHE and RSE through its programme of inspection in schools. Inspectors ensure: that the school timetable includes time for SPHE and RSE; that the RSE policy has been developed; that broad and balanced coverage of the SPHE and RSE curriculum is evident in school planning; and, in focused evaluations of SPHE and RSE lessons, that students are achieving the intended outcomes of the curriculum. During all whole-school evaluations, school management is required to confirm that the full Stay Safe programme, SPHE curriculum and RSE are being provided. Where there is evidence that provision is unsatisfactory, recommendations for improvement are made. In those cases where there is no or inadequate implementation of the SPHE and RSE curriculum, the inspectorate conducts a range of follow-through actions until such time as the relevant school is regarded as being compliant with the requirements in this area.

Through the monitoring of compliance, we have found that, in general, schools are positively disposed to providing good quality SPHE and RSE, and we have noted the prevalence of a positive classroom and whole-school atmosphere. Systematic engagement by school managers and teachers with SPHE and RSE continuous development activities has been shown to have a positive impact on the quality of programme delivery. However, there are some challenges to achieving high quality in that provision which are common across primary and post-primary levels. In some schools, the development of an RSE policy has not been achieved and there is insufficient engagement with parents on the policy and programme in the school. However, as was mentioned in the written submission to the committee, our lifeskills survey indicates that almost all schools actually have written RSE policies in place and the remainder are in the process of developing these. Furthermore, we know that there are issues relating to the competence and confidence of teachers regarding the delivery of RSE.

I will now outline recent initiatives which will support high-quality provision of services in this area. The Department is developing a policy on well-being which will be published in early 2018. The policy, which will cover both primary and post-primary schools, will set out a number of actions which will enhance the physical, mental, emotional and social well-being of students and enable them to build life skills.

The policy will include actions to support schools and teachers to deliver high-quality learning experiences so that students acquire an appropriate knowledge and understanding of human relationships and sexuality.

Another important development is the introduction of a new area of learning called Wellbeing, and I apologise for the confusing terminology due to the use of a capital "W", which is part of the new framework for junior cycle. Social, personal and health education, SPHE, and relationships and sexuality education, RSE, are integral parts of the new Wellbeing programme at junior cycle. They provide opportunities for teaching and learning directly related to well-being, not least the capacity to develop and maintain healthy relationships. Wellbeing guidelines developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, have been published and training has already commenced for school leaders to assist them in developing a well-being programme. It is important to emphasise that the Wellbeing programme is a whole-of-school programme and is not just for specific individual teachers.

It is envisaged that the SPHE curriculum, including RSE, at primary level will undergo a review by the NCCA in the coming years, as part of its ongoing review of all the curriculum areas, with which the committee members will doubtless be familiar. A review of the curriculum at senior cycle is also under way, again led by the NCCA. The SPHE and RSE programmes at that level will be considered.

These reviews will include the views of all the education partners, recent research outcomes, societal and cultural changes and all the relevant polices and teaching materials that have been disseminated to schools since the SPHE and RSE curricula were first introduced, including material produced by entities other than our own Department, including our colleagues in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the HSE and other partners that operate in this area. It is not possible to determine exactly what the review will conclude in terms of curriculum content. The process will be very comprehensive and all views and suggestions will be considered.

I thank the Chairperson for the opportunity to make an opening statement. My colleagues and I look forward to our discussions.