No teacher should be required to deliver sex education classes at second level unless they feel confident teaching “sensitive” material, a trade union has said.
In a message to school stewards, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) said in no circumstances should teachers be assigned to deliver SPHE (social, personal and health education) or RSE (relationships and sexual education) without “full and comprehensive training”.
The warning comes after Minister for Education Norma Foley confirmed that sex education classes will be mandatory for senior-cycle students for the first time. SPHE has been a mandatory part of the Junior Cycle curriculum for some time.
SPHE classes will cover topics such as sexual consent, the influence of pornography on relationship expectations, and attitudes around gender. The curriculum also states it should taught in a way that “LGBTQ+ identities, relationships and families are fully integrated and reflected in teaching and learning”.
Parents will have the right to request that their child opt out of any learning that contravenes their conscience. Once a student turns 18 they will have a right to decide whether they wish to participate in such classes. SPHE will not be examined as a Leaving Cert subject, but the curriculum will provide scope for students to be assessed in class.
Most schools do not timetable SPHE for senior-cycle students, who are typically aged from 15 to 18, given the demands of the Leaving Cert. However, the updated curriculum will make it mandatory to provide 60 hours of teaching and learning over two years.
The Department of Education said schools will be given until September 2027 to introduce the subject for students entering fifth year.
The message from ASTI secretary general Kieran Christie to its school stewards acknowledges that the curriculum includes “sensitive issues”.
“In that context, teachers should only teach material they feel they are comfortable and competent to teach,” it states. “It may be the case that in some instances, additional expertise and support may be required to address sensitive issues contained in the programme specification.”
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland said additional teachers would be needed to deliver SPHE classes at senior cycle. The union’s general secretary, Michael Gillespie, said many schools were already struggling with their allocation of teachers to meet students’ needs.
Separately, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has published curriculum specifications for nine senior-cycle subjects. They include updates for biology, physics, chemistry, business and two new subjects: drama, film and theatre studies; and climate action and sustainable development.
These new and revised subjects will be introduced into schools for fifth year students starting the 2025/2026 school year. Each subject will have an additional assessment component – such as a project or research task – worth at least 40 per cent of the marks.
Ms Foley said the aim is to give students “an opportunity to showcase their talents and ability and also to reduce the stress on them by moving away from the focus on one single exam day in June”.
