Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if dance will be included in physical education as part of the curriculum in secondary schools. [6199/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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It is the Department’s intention that all our pupils receive a quality Physical Education, as part of a curriculum aimed at supporting their holistic development. This involves appropriate instruction in a variety of movement forms that are designed to enhance the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of all pupils. Dance is one such movement form. The Department encourages schools to make every effort to deliver the Dance strand, which is one component of a comprehensive Physical Education at both primary and post-primary level.

As a study of human movement, Physical Education aims to support pupils in developing physical competence and understanding so they are able to move efficiently, effectively and safely. It is also focused on supporting pupils to develop positive physical activity behaviours, and to enjoy the many social and emotional benefits, including the physical and cognitive benefits that result from being physically active. All schools are expected to deliver a comprehensive Physical Education curriculum, as prescribed by the Department. It is important that pupils are supported in developing a proficiency in, and understanding of, the fundamental and transferable movement patterns inherent across all of the physical activity strands of the curriculum.

At Junior Cycle, promoting physical activity is reflected in the 24 'statements of learning' that are at the core of the Framework for Junior Cycle. Dance could also feature as part of a short course which could be developed and offered by a school, or by using the Performing Arts short course developed by the NCCA. Additionally, provision for PE forms part of the Junior Cycle Wellbeing Programme. The Junior Cycle Wellbeing Programme began with 300 hours of timetabled engagement in 2017 and build up to 400 hours by 2020 as the new Junior Cycle is implemented fully in schools. PE, along with CSPE and SPHE form part of the Wellbeing Programme.

A 100 hour short course in Physical Education was made available to all schools in 2015. It builds on the Junior Cycle Physical Education Framework which physical education teachers currently use to plan their physical education programme in junior cycle. 

The specification is structured around four strands: Physical activity for health and wellbeing;

Games; Individual and team challenges; and Dance and gymnastics.

Strand 4: Dance and gymnastics. This strand aims to build students’ competency in and understanding of artistic and aesthetic movement, as they create and perform in a group for an audience in either gymnastics or dance. The process of creating the dance or gymnastic movement sequence is seen as being equally important as the final performance. Each school will decide the order in which the strands are taught and, where appropriate, provide an equal time weighting for each strand to ensure a broad, balanced and developmentally appropriate programme covering all four strands of the course.

The new Leaving Certificate Physical Education (examinable) subject will be introduced in September 2018 into a small cohort of schools. Learners’ physically active participation is central to teaching and learning in Leaving Certificate Physical Education. To enable this to happen, students learn about the different theoretical perspectives through their participation in three different physical activities. These activities are selected from six distinct physical activity areas which reflect the activities more commonly included in school physical education programmes currently. The Physical Activity area ‘Artistic and aesthetic activities’ includes Gymnastics: artistic, rhythmic And Dance: contemporary, folk, modern, ballet, jazz, tap, ethnic, traditional.

Leaving Certificate Physical Education is designed to be taught in approximately 180 hours. It is recommended that of the five suggested class periods a week, a double period per week should be included to facilitate learners’ active participation in the three physical activities.