Ms Rita Sexton:

I thank members for the opportunity to contribute to the committee's discussion on childhood obesity. Schools and the wider education sector have a vital role to play in promoting healthy lifestyles. The Department acknowledges the commitment of schools in promoting healthy lifestyle choices for students in a number of ways such as the curriculum, for example, physical education, PE, and social, personal and health education, SPHE; through schools policy, including healthy lunch policies; and the use of resources and programmes chosen by the school. Work by the Department of Education and Skills in this area aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge to enable them to make the right choices for healthy lifestyles throughout their lives.

PE is one of the seven core curriculum areas within the primary school curriculum. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, which is the body designated by the Department to assess and implement curriculum change, is conducting a review of structure and time allocation in the primary curriculum. In the framework for junior cycle for 2015, the importance of PE is reflected in one of the eight principles which underpin the framework, namely, that of well-being. Since September 2017, all schools must offer a programme of well-being to their first year students. Well-being crosses the three years of junior cycle and builds on substantial work taking place in schools in support of students' well-being. A well-being programme will include learning to enhance the physical, mental, emotional and social well-being of students. The junior cycle well-being programme began with 300 hours of timetabled engagement in 2017 and will build up to 400 hours by 2020 as the new junior cycle is implemented fully in schools.

PE, along with SPHE and civic social and political education, CSPE, will form the core parts of the well-being programme in schools. Among the 24 statements of learning under the framework for junior cycle are statements that the student is a confident and competent participant in physical activity, is motivated to be physically active, and understands the importance of food and diet in making healthy lifestyle choices. One of the eight key skills requirements for the junior cycle programme is that a student will stay well and be healthy and physically active.

At senior cycle, a new specification for leaving certificate physical education has been published and allows students to study physical education for the leaving certificate examination. A framework for senior cycle physical education has also been published. This framework provides a structure for PE teachers to plan a broad programme in PE for students who do not intend to take PE as a leaving certificate subject. The framework will support learners in developing confidence, competence and creativity in a range of physical activities. The new subject and framework was rolled out to 80 phase 1 schools in September 2018.

The Active School Flag, ASF, is a Department-funded initiative supported by Healthy Ireland. The ASF is awarded to schools that strive to achieve a physically educated and physically active school community. The investment being made under the national development plan, NDP, will also support the promotion of physical activity in schools. The NDP provides for an €8.4 billion investment in school buildings over the period 2018 to 2027 to deliver on NDP and national planning framework objectives through addressing the twin priorities of catering for demographics and ensuring a strengthened focus on refurbishment of existing school stock. This investment will result in an almost doubling of the capital budget for school buildings: €540 million in 2018 rising to an annual average of circa €1 billion in the second half of the NDP period. The strengthened focus on refurbishment of existing school stock will have different strands, including a PE hall build and modernisation programme that ensures that students in all post-primary schools have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision, particularly also in the context of the roll-out of PE as a leaving certificate subject.

The Department of Education and Skills works closely with the Department of Health and the HSE on the Healthy Ireland agenda. The Department is represented on a number of groups, including the national physical activity plan implementation group and the obesity policy implementation oversight group. Healthy lifestyles guidance issued to post-primary schools in 2015 and primary schools in 2016. This guidance was drafted in consultation with the Department of Health. I am happy to answer any questions members may have.