Sex education to be taught at earlier age under new primary school curriculum

Relationships and sex education will be taught at an earlier stage under a draft new primary school curriculum in recognition that many children are starting school at an older age and in some cases are experiencing puberty earlier.

The changes are contained in draft specifications for key subject areas which will feature in the new curriculum, regarded by policymakers as the biggest shake-up to primary education in 25 years.

The wellbeing section of the draft curriculum aims to provide children with a “balanced, inclusive, age and developmentally-appropriate understanding of human development and sexuality”. It will include new areas of learning such as consent, digital wellbeing and diversity of family structures, as well as a renewed focus on relationships, emotions and feelings.

Teachers will be supported to make professional judgments on the needs of the children in their class and learning related to puberty may be taught “as appropriate” from third and fourth class upwards.

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The draft changes form part of a much wider redevelopment of the primary school curriculum, which is the subject of public consultation from today until June 7th. The process of rolling out a new curriculum is likely to take several years.

As part of the planned changes primary school pupils will spend more time learning foreign languages, science, technology and engineering.

Existing classroom teachers will be expected to teach foreign languages from third to sixth class, beginning initially with a simple awareness of different languages, before moving to basic and oral communication. The Department of Education will provide more specific advice on the professional development supports for teachers in due course.

Children will spend less time on so-called patron’s programmes, or denominational education, but will learn about religions, beliefs and world views as part of a new area of social and environmental education.

The reduction in time spent teaching religion alongside other reforms will give schools more “flexible time” – seven hours a month – to allow schools to focus on priority areas of learning decided by individual schools.

A broader arts education will include a new emphasis on dance and media arts, while there will also be a focus on PE, digital learning and sustainability.

The draft curriculum also places a renewed focus on how children learn, with an emphasis on play-based, inquiry-based and project-based learning, as well promotion of critical thinking and problem-solving.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) described the reforms as a “landmark step” which addresses the changes in our world since the current primary curriculum was introduced in 1999. It said it was vital to ensure children’s experiences in school provide solid foundations for them to thrive and to flourish and reach their full potential.

A framework for the new primary curriculum was launched a year ago, which set out the vision, principles, key competencies and structure of the curriculum. On foot of this the draft curriculum documents set out a number of new proposals, some of which include the draft specifications – or syllabus – for areas such as arts education; modern foreign languages; social and environmental education (history and geography); science, technology and engineering; wellbeing (social, personal and health education), and PE.

These were developed by the NCCA based on research and listening to the voices of children, teachers and school leaders, and collaborating with an academic-led advisory panel. It said findings of the consultation would help inform the finalisation of the curriculum specifications, which would shape children’s learning for the next decade and beyond.

Arlene Forster, NCCA’s chief executive, said: “The consultation beginning today marks another important step in redeveloping the primary curriculum. I encourage everyone to take this opportunity to get involved to help ensure that the curriculum continues to play its role in supporting great teaching and learning for all children across our primary and special schools in the years ahead.”

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