Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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165. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on introducing a module on mental health awareness and positive mental health into the primary and secondary school curriculum; her further views on whether schools and centres for education should be playing a vital role in the promotion of positive mental health; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10711/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has an important role to play in supporting the well-being and mental health of our young people. My Department’s Well-being Policy and Framework for practice has given recognition to the importance of promoting well-being in education. It outlines a comprehensive, whole-school approach to the promotion of well-being and positive mental health. It focuses on the whole school community, as well as groups and individual young people with identified needs.

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 well-being, academic, social and emotional development of all learners. NEPS also provides training to schools in programmes to reduce anxiety and promote coping and resilience in children and young people.

The curriculum also plays an important role in teaching students about managing their well-being. All students commencing Junior Cycle from September 2017 onwards undertake the area of learning called Well-being. Well-being crosses the three years of Junior Cycle and builds on substantial work already taking place in schools in support of students’ well-being. When planning a Well-being Programme schools should consider the NCCA developed short courses in PE, SPHE, and CSPE. In particular the SPHE short course Strand 4: My Mental Health focuses on building positive mental health, examining young people’s experience of mental ill health and learning how to support themselves and others in challenging times. These are the result of widespread consultation with education partners to ensure that the courses address important, relevant and meaningful learning for young people in these subjects. Well-being is one of the principles that underpins Junior Cycle education and is reflected in a number of the statements of learning that are central to planning for the student’s experience of and the evaluation of the schools Junior Cycle programme.

Well-being is mandatory in all primary schools as part of the SPHE curriculum. At primary level the SPHE curriculum is designed to foster children’s well-being, self-confidence and sense of belonging develops children’s sense of personal responsibility for their own behaviour and actions. It promotes children’s self-awareness and understanding by helping them to manage their own feelings, to recognise and appreciate individual abilities, and to cope with change of various kinds as well as supporting children to become active and responsible citizens.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The position is that the Department does not issue any guidelines relating to homework being given in schools. It is a matter for each school, at local level to arrive at its own homework policy. In keeping with good practice, the process of drafting a homework policy, should involve consultation with teachers, parents and students

Although schools are not obliged to have a published policy on homework the Department does acknowledge that homework can play an important part in helping pupils prepare for forthcoming class work and in reinforcing work already covered during class time.

During this period of teaching and learning remotely, teachers should ensure that pupils are given opportunities to make real progress in developing their knowledge, skills and understanding across the curriculum. Guidance from the Department states that it is important that all teachers provide specific teaching input to their pupils to support them as they continue their learning engagement from home, this will vary between the work that the teacher will ask pupils to do independently and direct teaching by the teacher.

Where there is less frequent engagement throughout the week, perhaps due to broadband issues, a clear daily and manageable allocation of work should be provided for pupils. In all cases, engagement with pupils should ensure that direct instruction is provided using a variety of approaches including video, audio, presentation software and written instructions. There should be a balance of guided and independent learning tasks assigned across the curriculum and teachers should ensure that the learning tasks chosen give pupils an opportunity to demonstrate their learning in a clear and concise manner.

In relation to research on homework, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), in consultation with the National Parents Council, commissioned some research in 2018 on Parental Involvement, Engagement and Partnership in their Children’s Education during the Primary School Years and Homework was a significant theme in this work. This research was published in 2019 and is available on the NCCA website www.mie.ie/en/research/parental_involvement_engagement_and_partnership_in_their_children%E2%80%99s_education_during_the_primary_school_years/.

In relation to homework the research asked how is homework designed to promote a partnership between school, child and parents? In this regard, it found that parental and teacher views on the role of homework in a child’s education differ greatly; homework is found to be a source of stress for parents, regardless of their child’s academic ability; many parents are concerned about the amount of homework that is received ; while a key purpose of homework is understood as supporting parental involvement in learning, the fact that it is described as a stressful experience does not support positive involvement in children’s learning; and that choice’ emerged as particularly important for children, in choosing what homework, when and how to undertake it.

In terms of recommendations related to homework, the following are detailed:

- Additional opportunities could be provided for parents and teachers to discuss how to support children’s language development in the home. This could begin with a conversation about homework

- Although there is evidence of good homework practice in schools, there is a need for national guidance on homework in relation to time, content and method that suits children best, according to research in the field

- Schools need to review homework policies and to ensure a whole-school approach is applied in relation to homework

- Entertaining and interactive oral language games and activities should be incorporated into children’s homework

- In planning homework, schools might take into consideration the demands on children's time to do planned activities outside of school and the importance of outdoor free play opportunities for young children

- Schools might consider removing homework from junior infant classes with the exception of story-time/reading to/with children.