Report identifies ‘gap’ in sex education provision to teenagers

Schools are failing to address sex education in a “comprehensive” way, according to a report published today on the impact of a community-based advice programme on relationships and sexuality.

The report by the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, NUI Galway identifies a "gap in provision" which it says the youth development organisation Foróige is helping to fill through its "REAL U" scheme.

The centre, which was commissioned by Foróige to review the scheme, said participants were of the view that sex education in schools “tends to be more factual, using formal language and with less opportunity to ask questions”.

A number of young people interviewed for the report said they would be embarrassed to ask questions in class, given the format of the school-based relationships and sexuality education (RSE).

Foróige’s REAL U (Relationships Explored and Life Uncovered ) programme was developed in 2011 for 12-18 year olds and is said to have reached 10,500 people nationwide, mainly through youth groups.

The report noted the vast majority of young people (86 per cent) had received some form of sex education through the RSE programme, according to 2012 data. However, research showed there was “considerable diversity and inconsistency in RSE implementation and delivery between schools”.

It cited evidence of “serious instances of misinformation, indicating that there is a need for a programme of this nature to target young people who may have not received adequate education to date.

“Staff reported that there is a considerable variation in knowledge among participants and that even those who are relatively well-informed about ‘facts’ benefit from having a safe place to discuss the complexities associated with relationships.”

The researchers surveyed 231 participants on Foróige’s 12-week programme, and noted “while the small sample in the outcomes strand makes it difficult to conclude with certainty that the programme is effective, it is notable that statistically significant improvements were found for participants in two domains - attitudes to LGBT and knowledge about sex”.

Regarding the first of these two issues, it noted that people were asked whether they think it is okay for people, no matter whether they are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender to behave in certain ways, be bullied or have specific expectations, and those who had taken part in the programme showed “more positive attitudes to LGBT than those who had not”.

It concluded: “The availability of a comprehensive, flexible programme of this nature in youth work settings represents an important development in the move towards comprehensive sex education for young people in Ireland.”

The HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme, which has funded the expansion of REAL U, has also developed an education website B4uDecide.ie, which is targeted at people aged 14-16 years.