Ask third years at Coolmine Community School in Clonsilla, Dublin, what they think about their RSE programme and they'll tell you that they're already fully aware of how you make babies. But, while they may be aware of many of the factual details and shrug them off, how much do they know about the issues surrounding relationships and sexuality?
This, argues pastoral care teacher Kathleen McCabe, is where RSE comes into full play. The programme, she says, enables students to examine important issues - including their emotions, the myths and misconceptions surrounding the whole area of relationships and sexuality, male and female expectations and peer pressure.
At Coolmine, staff are adamant that any good RSE programme must be delivered in the context of a broader social, personal and health education programme (SPHE). "Teaching about relationships and sexuality in a vacuum is ineffectual," advises principal Sean O Beachain. "It must be part of a wider programme. At Coolmine we don't say `we're having an RSE class today.' It's very much an integral part of the whole programme."
Coolmine began its RSE programme four years ago after extensive consultations with parents. "We asked parents whether they wanted us to get involved in the details of RSE. We brought in classes of parents, two at a time, to discuss the issues - 99 per cent of parents agreed that they wanted us to talk about conception, pregnancy and birth from first year, but in the context of loving relationships and marital relationships."
To date, no parent has withdrawn a child from a RSE class at the school, although they have the right to do so. RSE is becoming increasingly important, O Beachain says, because children are reaching puberty earlier than they did in the past and they are now regularly exposed to vast amounts of sexualised material. "It's foolish to think that the messages contained in films, TV and popsongs don't have any affect on young people," he argues.
Over 20 Coolmine teachers, one-third of all staff, have had training in RSE - all on a volunteer basis, notes Aine Ni Chonaola, vice principal with responsibility for pastoral care. Back in 1994 the programme was developed without the benefit of the Department of Education and Science guidelines. In the event, staff were delighted to discover how closely their progamme related to that suggested by the Department.
Each class has one SPHE class per week. "Time can be an issue," notes SPHE/RSE co-ordinator Patricia McPhillips. "We took a class from RE."
In Coolmine, SPHE involves group discussion, brainstorming, case studies, role play and project work. "It's not as structured as regular classes and it's more relaxed," she says. Classes of 30, though, are a problem, she admits - "smaller groups would be better." There's also a problem of space. For SPHE to work properly you need to abandon the classroom setting and have students sitting in a circle or working in small groups.
Self-esteem lies at the core of the SPHE programme, says Ni Chonaola. First years are required to write a class contract promising to be honest and open, to listen to others and to be respectful of others. Then they work on the `me'.
"We encourage them to think about what information they have received about themselves. It gives them a chance to sit back and think about themselves. They're encouraged to acquire good listening skills, to communicate assertively but in a non-threatening, non-bullying manner and to understand about responsible decision-making."
Yes, it does smack of idealism, teachers agree, but, argues Ni Chonaola, "you have to present young people with the best possible package." However, tensions can occur when the messages delivered in school are not supported in the home. "We have other support systems for this," she says.
Until now outside agencies have been used to deliver talks on sexuality, but this is set to change next year. "We have invited specialists to assist in the delivery and it has worked well, but this is being phased out," O Beachain notes. "We do recognise, though, that some teachers might find it difficult."
Today, Coolmine third years are sitting in a wide circle discussing stereotyping. A question-and-answer session is followed by workshops. The group quickly becomes aware that stereotyping is a serious issue and can result in misleading views. Afterwards, students agree that the SPHE sessions are brilliant - the most interesting class of the week.
Girls, in particular, are aware that the programme boosts confidence. "I used to be shy about speaking up," says Cliona Joyce. "This increases your confidence. You can say what you feel." Michelle Tierney explains: "We do role play and everyone gets a chance to talk. Nobody can slag you because they're all doing the same thing."
The boys, meanwhile, appreciate the chance to examine issues they have not considered before. "We explore things like alcohol and drugs that we may not have understood before," says Peter Pardy. "You realise that you have to be careful how you say things because you may offend other people." Simon Bell adds: "It gives you the chance to express your thoughts and talk about things that are important to people of our age."
