Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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In 2020, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) established two development groups, one for primary and one for post-primary, to oversee work in the area of Social Personal and Health Education/Relationships and Sexuality Education (SPHE/RSE) curricular redevelopment and support the development of guidance material for schools.

The immediate focus of the work of the NCCA was 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 SPHE/RSE may be approached in a more holistic way.

In tandem, work on the broader redeveloping and updating of the SPHE curriculum across Primary, Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle is progressing.

A draft revised Junior Cycle specification was published for consultation on 18 July, with the consultation process running until 18 October. The consultation will take feedback from teachers and students as well as other interested groups and individuals. More information on the consultation process, including how to contribute to it, is available on the NCCA’s website. It is expected that the finalised Junior Cycle specification will be presented to Council for approval by the end of this year, and will be implemented in schools in September 2023.

The draft updated specification provides clear direction on the knowledge and skills that all students should gain during the three years of Junior Cycle SPHE. It places a strong focus on the development of important life skills that young people need growing up in a fast changing and complex world. For example, the draft specification addresses the issue of alcohol and addiction in Strand 2: Making healthy choices.The learning outcomes of this strand includes investigating how unhealthy products are marketed and advertised to appeal to young people; analysing the supports and challenges for young people when it comes to healthy choices about addictive substances and overcoming them; and discussing the physical, social, and legal consequences of their own or others’ use of addictive substances.

In relation to Senior Cycle, preparation to update the SPHE/RSE specification has commenced and a background paper was published earlier this month for public consultation on the NCCA website. It is anticipated that the Senior Cycle draft specification itself will be available for public consultation by next summer, with a view to being implemented in schools in September 2024.

Following publication of the new Primary Curriculum Framework, expected in early 2023, NCCA will establish a development group for the curricular area of Wellbeing in primary schools.