Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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449. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the school curriculum at primary and secondary levels has been or can be extended to incorporate a particular emphasis on basic life skills, sex education and health and safety issues with a view to addressing issues arising and the prevention of bullying in and out of the classroom; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40470/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The role of the school is to provide an appropriate education for all its pupils. A stable, secure learning environment is an essential requirement to achieve this goal. A core value of the curriculum, across all levels of schooling in Ireland, is inclusivity and diversity. The curriculum at primary and post-primary is for all learners, from all backgrounds – regardless of gender, socio-economic background, race or creed. It aims to foster inclusivity where equality and diversity are promoted.

At primary level, Social, personal and health education (SPHE) provides particular opportunities to foster the personal development, health and well-being of the individual child, to help him/her to create and maintain supportive relationships and become an active and responsible citizen in society. As children progress through an SPHE programme, they will encounter a wide range of issues. These will include substance misuse, relationships, sexuality, child abuse prevention, prejudice and discrimination. The SPHE curriculum is structured in such a way that these issues are not explored in isolation; rather the emphasis is on building a foundation of skills, values, attitudes and understanding relevant to all these issues, with specific information provided where necessary. SPHE contributes to the development of personal attributes and skills, such as learning how to manage feelings, how to resolve conflicts and how to cope with new and demanding situations.

SPHE provides opportunities for children to learn about, and actively participate in, the various communities to which they belong and to develop a sense of a shared commitment. Diversity and difference characterise the society in which children live. A respect for and an appreciation of human and cultural diversity can and should be promoted at every level of the primary school. Through SPHE children can become aware of some of the prejudices and attitudes that fail to respect the dignity of others.

At post-primary level, the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) emphasises the importance of valuing, acknowledging and affirming all the students’ learning opportunities and experiences during the three years of junior cycle. It also envisages that parents/guardians and students will get a broader picture of students’ learning.

At the heart of junior cycle reform lies the need to build on our understanding of education, to provide students with quality learning opportunities that strike a balance between learning knowledge and developing a wide range of skills and thinking abilities.

Students will have opportunities and be encouraged to use and develop skills such as applying their learning in a number of different contexts; engaging in research, investigation and experimentation; and making decisions, implementing ideas and taking action.

SPHE at Junior Cycle provides a unique opportunity where students can develop the skills and competences to learn about themselves, to care for themselves and others and to make informed decisions about their overall health and wellbeing.

SPHE also provides the context within which students can learn about the important moral, physical, social and emotional issues around relationships, sex and sexuality including where to get reliable information from trusted sources.

In December 2019, a review of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) provision in Irish schools carried out by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) which specifically looked into, among other areas, healthy, positive, sexual expressions and relationships, contraception and LGBTQ+ matters. As a result of this review, the NCCA are currently developing interim guidance for SPHE and RSE to provide guidance on how the current curriculum can be provided in a more holistic way. Work on updating or developing new specifications for SPHE/RSE will commence in the NCCA in 2021, beginning with a focus on Junior Cycle.

The NCCA will examine opportunities for SPHE/RSE within the new Junior Cycle Wellbeing area of learning. Wellbeing provides learning opportunities to enhance the physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing and resilience of students, and to enable students to build life-skills and to develop a strong sense of connectedness to the school and to their community.

With regard to ensuring a safe environment for all learners, the National Anti-Bullying Procedures for schools were published in September 2013 and are available on the Department’s website at

These procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst their pupils. The procedures require that the prevention of bullying must be an integral part of a school’s anti-bullying policy. The procedures include specific requirements in relation to the use of prevention and education strategies and the consistent investigation, follow up and recording of bullying behaviour. The strategies that schools implement must be documented in the anti-bullying policy and must explicitly deal with the issue of identity-based bullying. Schools’ actions to create a positive school culture and to prevent and tackle bullying are included in the whole school evaluation process carried out by the Department’s Inspectorate.

Schools are required to publish their anti-bullying policy on the school's website and to provide it to the parents association and to undertake an annual review of the school's anti-bullying policy and its implementation. Confirmation that the annual review has been completed must be provided to the parents association and published on the school website.