AQW 4725/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 14/10/2022
Answered On Date: 27/10/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education for an update on plans to introduce consistent and mandatory relationship and sex education in schools.

Answer:

Teaching about 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 and aligns with its RSE policy.

The curriculum gives schools flexibility to adapt what they teach and enables them to 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.

There is no evidence to suggest that detailed lists of compulsory subject content within a curriculum guarantees that a subject will be well or appropriately taught. Furthermore, in a subject such as RSE, prescribed content may rapidly become out of date when new issues emerge.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 future publication of a RSE Progression Framework. This approach is designed to improve confidence and capacity in the teaching of RSE.