AQW 1363/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 13/06/2022
Answered On Date: 28/06/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education (i) what progress is being made to create a standardised approach to Relationship and Sexuality Education; and (ii) whether pupils are being consulted as part of this process.

Answer:

Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school age and it is the responsibility of the Board of Governors of each school to ensure that a comprehensive programme is delivered which meets the needs of its pupils.

The curriculum gives schools flexibility to adapt what they teach and use a variety of approaches and curricular resources that reflect, and are responsive to, the learning needs of their pupils. This ensures that young people are both safe and well-informed about all of the issues they face in modern society.

Providing detailed lists of compulsory subject content within a curriculum does not in any way guarantee that a subject will be well or appropriately taught. Further, in an area such as RSE, prescribed content may rapidly become out of date or new issues may emerge.

A wide range of resources have been developed and are available on the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment’s RSE Hub which will include the publication of an RSE Progression Framework. This approach is designed to improve confidence and capacity in the teaching of RSE. I have asked my officials to prepare additional guidelines for schools setting out the importance of ensuring the issues highlighted by the Gillen Review, including serious sexual offences and consent, are covered within the Curriculum. This will be issued before the end of the current school year.