AQW 16817/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 16/10/2024
Answered On Date: 24/10/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any work from Early Years through to post-primary school age to ensure a culture of healthy relationships.

Answer:

Learning about developing relationships begins as early as the Sure Start Programmes and develops througout a young person’s education.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development is one of six pre-school Areas of Learning. It covers children’s emotional well-being, understanding of who they are, and respect for others and their environment. It is also about forming and sustaining relationships, beginning to understand emotions, learning how to self-regulate, and developing positive dispositions to learn. Good personal, social and emotional development gives children the best opportunity for success in other Areas of Learning. As they begin their pre-school education, children bring with them a variety of personal and social skills, values and attitudes. They acquire experiences and relationships within the home and their immediate surroundings, and it is important that these are recognised.

Our curriculum is designed to provide opportunities to educate young people to develop healthy relationships. Pupils have the opportunity to explore their management of a range of feelings and emotions and those of others; initiating, developing and sustaining mutually satisfying relationships, explore the qualities of a loving, respectful relationship and develop coping strategies to deal with challenging relationship scenarios.