Junior Cycle Social, Personal, and Health Education (SPHE) – information for parents and guardians
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Last updated on
A new Social, Personal, and Health Education curriculum (SPHE) was introduced in September 2023 for all first-year students.
Over the three years of Junior Cycle, students will learn a variety of skills. These include how to communicate respectfully and effectively, understanding the importance of setting healthy boundaries, and recognising the effects of stress and how to manage it. They will also learn about the dangers of alcohol, smoking, and other addictive substances.
More than 4,000 parents, along with students and teachers, were involved in a consultation about this new curriculum.
Social, Personal, and Health Education (SPHE) gives students a space to learn important skills and knowledge that help with their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing, both now and in the future. In a world where young people are often exposed to distorted information online, the SPHE curriculum is designed to give students the tools to safely navigate these challenges.
The course focuses on teaching life skills that are essential for young people growing up in a world that is always changing. These skills include self-awareness, self-management, making responsible decisions, understanding others, and building good relationships. These skills are important for handling life’s challenges and can have a big impact on a person’s future.
Learning in the Junior Cycle SPHE course is divided into four parts:
This part helps students learn more about themselves, build self-esteem, and develop the social and emotional skills they need for healthy relationships. They will identify their strengths and values, and look at what influences their self-esteem, self-image, and identity.
This part encourages students to think about making healthy choices in their lives. They’ll talk about things like food, sleep, alcohol, addictive substances and behaviours, and of course their online life.
The focus here is on building and maintaining healthy, respectful relationships. Students will discuss the signs of healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships, how to set boundaries, and respect others' boundaries. They will also learn about consent, reproductive health, making responsible decisions, and some of the pressures on young people to become sexually active.
This part helps students learn how to manage stress, control their emotions, take care of themselves, and know where to get help if needed. The goal is to help them handle the normal emotional ups and downs of being a teenager.
Parents and guardians are the primary educators of their children and important partners in all aspects of the education process. That’s why more than 4,000 parents, along with students and teachers, were involved in a consultation about this new curriculum.
Social, Personal, and Health Education doesn’t start or end at school. It works best when parents and schools work together, using the same approach. This partnership ensures that children have a consistent experience and can see the links between what they learn at home, in school, and in their community.
In line with good practice, teachers encourage students to talk about SPHE topics with their parents at home. Homework, project work and reflection activities related to SPHE provide frequent opportunities for students to discuss what they’ve learned with their parents or guardians.
The importance of reaching out to a trusted adult, such as a parent or guardian is a strong and repeated message within SPHE. If a parent or guardian is concerned about what their child will be taught, they should speak to their local school who will provide more information.
Parents or guardians can opt their children out of classes if they feel the content conflicts with their personal beliefs.
In developing the curriculum, significant work went into ensuring that the learning is age-appropriate. Decisions about what to include in the curriculum are based on research and best practice, as well as extensive consultations with parents and guardians, teachers and young people themselves.
Within the classroom, the teacher has flexibility to judge how and when topics should be taught, so that learning takes place in a way that is meeting the needs, stage of development and school context of their students.
The SPHE curriculum outlines what topics should be taught in schools, and teachers understand the importance of teaching these topics in a way that suits the students' age.
The curriculum is designed to be age-appropriate, whether students are in first, second, or third year.
No inappropriate or explicit content should be used in SPHE. Teachers are not expected to teach such content, and the curriculum does not include anything graphic or explicit.
Teachers and schools can choose from a list of free resources developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). It is not a fixed list - teachers and schools can choose what works best for their students.
Junior Cycle students are usually 12-16 years old and are at different stages of development, with varied life experiences. Teachers should decide which ones fit their students' needs and development.
Schools may choose to use a published SPHE textbook instead of the NCCA’s list of resources, and if so, parents are encouraged to read them. The content of textbooks is decided by each publisher.
If you have any concerns about a textbook, you should speak to your school.
It is recommended that parents or others go to trusted websites to get information about the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, such as the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) website.
The NCCA has an information note for parents about the Junior Cycle SPHE curriculum on its website.
If a parent or guardian is concerned about what their child will be taught, they should speak to their local school who will provide more information.
Parents or guardians can opt their children out of classes if they feel the content conflicts with their personal beliefs. They can do so by speaking with their local school.