The Minister of Education should provide teachers with the necessary training and assistance to implement the new Social, Personal, and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, according to a request made by the CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), reports RTE.
In a letter to Norma Foley today, Rachel Morrogh told RTÉ News that she emphasised the significance of this “essential component” of what can be a “excellent” resource.
“We have this window of opportunity now to really get in front of the problem of sexual violence,” Ms Morrogh added.
“Through education and training we can really give young people a chance,” reports RTE.
When the new SPHE program takes effect in 2027, teaching older teenagers about topics like mental health and wellness, sexuality, consent, and other rights will be required in all schools.
Ms. Murrogh urged Minister Foley “to put in place supports so that they feel confident teaching subjects that they may not have taught before,” acknowledging that teachers could find certain parts of it difficult.
This week, schools received word that starting in September 2027, all children will need to follow the new curriculum.
It will be required of students enrolled in the Leaving Certificate Applied program starting in September of the following year, reports RTE.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) released 12 new and amended Leaving Certificate topics this week, including the redesigned curriculum.
Less than 20% of post-primary schools schedule SPHE sessions for pupils in the senior cycle at this time.
This implies that throughout their last years of education, many older teenagers receive little to no personal health education.
A thirteen-year-old optional curriculum is replaced with the new syllabus, reports RTE.
Ryan Murray, an Oatlands College student, stated that SPHE was “really, really important” and that he studied it in his fifth and sixth years.
“They brought people in and they were really professional about it,” he claimed. “They taught me about consent and how to deal with all that sort of stuff.”
All pupils must get 60 hours of instruction in the topic from their schools. This equates to one hour per week, reports RTE.
Last year, schools implemented a Junior Cycle SPHE curriculum revision that is now required.
According to the Department of Education, much preliminary work was required to support the subject’s introduction and timetabling, thus schools were allowed until 2027 to teach it at the senior cycle level.
It did state that schools have the option to opt in sooner, though, reports RTE.
Into Adulthood, Relationships and Sexuality, and Health and Wellbeing are the three main elements of the new curriculum.
According to the NCCA, the first strand focused primarily on young people’s emotional welfare and how to handle mental health issues, reports RTE.
“To develop awareness and skills needed for healthy relationships – whether with friends, families, or romantic relationships” is the stated goal of the Relationships and Sexuality strand.
Along with addressing domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence (DSGBV), it also teaches young people about their legal rights and safeguards and how to detect abusive and violent relationships.
This strand covers subjects covered in the Junior Cycle SPHE curriculum, including consent, sexual health, pornography, and how to keep safe while interacting with people in person and online, reports RTE.
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