Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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96. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline possible funding avenues for a project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34770/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The current policy in my Department is not to endorse any products, publications or services from individual providers and hence, it is not possible for us to support or publicise the project referenced to schools. Choices regarding educational materials, textbooks and other educational products as well as digital and online services are made by individual schools and their boards of management, not by my Department.

Access to Relationships and Sexuality Education, or RSE, is an important right for students. This is reflected in the Programme for Government, which states that this Government will develop inclusive and age appropriate curricula for RSE and Social, Personal and Health Education across primary and post-primary schools.

Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary schools and in post-primary junior cycle. Relationships and Sexuality Education (or RSE) is required at all levels, from primary through to senior cycle. Topics covered at post-primary include: sexual harassment; healthy and unhealthy relationships; consent; domestic gender-based and sexual violence; dating violence and rape.

The Programme for Government commits to the development of inclusive and age appropriate curricula for RSE and SPHE across primary and post-primary schools, including an inclusive programme on LGBTI+ relationships.

Following a review of RSE in schools across all stages of education the NCCA has established two development groups, one for primary and one for post-primary, to oversee the work in this area and support the development of guidance material for schools.

The immediate focus of the NCCA work has been on creating support materials for teachers for publication online as part of an Interim Guidance Toolkit. The toolkit's purpose is to support effective teaching and learning of SPHE/RSE linked to the current curriculum and to provide guidance on how SPE/RSE may be approached in a comprehensive way that meets the needs of young people today. These resources cover all topics including many of the topics that have been raised recently as important for young people's education - there are resources to help teachers in teaching about rights and responsibilities in relationships, how to recognise healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationships, how to interact safely and respectfully the influence of the media on young people's understanding and expectations, sexual consent and assertive communication.

The NCCA Toolkits will be expanded during 2022 to include further age and stage appropriate guidance for teachers on how to address these and other related topics within the SPHE classroom. The Toolkit provides practical help designed to deepen teachers' understanding and skills so that they feel more confident in addressing important and sensitive topics.

In tandem with the development of the online Toolkit, preparation for redeveloping and updating the SPHE curriculum is progressing. Updated curricula will be developed for Primary, Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle.   A draft revised Junior Cycle specification is due to be agreed at NCCA Council by the summer, with a public consultation to follow when schools return in September. The final revised specification is due to be completed by the end of 2022 and rolled out in schools from September 2023. Updated specifications for primary and senior cycle will follow afterwards.

I have announced a review of the 2013 Action Plan on Bullying and procedures on bullying.  This review will take account of developments and relevant research since the action plan and procedures were published and will specifically consider areas such as cyber bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment.

The review will also give detailed consideration to the recommendations contained in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Report on School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health which was published in August 2021.

My Department continues to work with the Department of Justice in formulating and implementing the Third National Strategy for Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV). Proposed actions for my Department include enhancing understanding of gender and relationships, and enabling frontline professionals and support staff, with the assistance of the support services for teachers, to have the necessary analysis, skills, and expertise to identify potential DSGBV dangers and make appropriate preventative interventions. As well as being done through developing and implementing update SPHE and RSE curricula, it will also be achieved by building on continuing professional development (CPD) and anti-bullying procedures.

The proposed actions are intended to reflect the ambition of my Department to play its part in realising the aim of eradicating domestic, sexual and gender-based violence from society and I look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Justice in furtherance of this.