POLICY ON RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION

Dalkey School Project NS

AIMS OF RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION

Relationships and Sexuality Education is central to the social, personal and moral development of the child. This education starts before the child comes to school and the programme in the school is a continuation of this process.

Our overall aims are:

To foster and support the personal, moral and social development of each child.

• To enable each child to enjoy relationships based on mutual respect, dignity and responsibility, free from abuse.
• To enable each child to accept his/her own and other’s sexuality in positive ways.

A Programme of Relationships and Sexuality Education in Dalkey School Project School will:

A. Recognise that the primary responsibility for relationships and Sexuality Education lies with each child’s parents.

B. Recognise, be consistent with and promote the fundamental principles and ethos Dalkey School Project – ie

• The Multi-denominational principle – all children must have equal right of access to the school, and the religious, cultural and social background of each child must be respected.

The co-educational principle – each child must be allowed to develop his or her potential without distinction by sex.

• The democratic principle – the DSP must at all times be sensitive and aware of the needs and aspirations of its parents, teachers and children, both individually and collectively, and be responsive to them.
• Be implemented in consultation with the full school community, including parents, teachers and the patron.
• Be subject to ongoing review and development.

OBJECTIVES OF RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION

The objectives of our Relationships and Sexuality Education are:

To be sensitive to children’s concerns – ie self, family, home, friends.

Encourage respect for self and towards others in the school and wider community.

Enable children to feel comfortable in the relationships they haveAt home. At school. With peers.

To help children grow in confidence in their relationships

To enable pupils to develop an understanding of themselves, their own bodies and their feelings as they grow and change.

To develop in each child a positive sense of wonder, respect, and delight in his/her own particular stage of growth and development.

To explain the process of procreation appropriate to the stage of development of the child.

To enable the children to recognize the importance of the choices they make, and to accept responsibility for the decisions they take.

To help pupils to resist peer, social and media pressure where necessary

To help each child develop a sense of self worth.

To foster awareness of the implications of substance and other abuse.

To provide opportunities where pupils can share their concerns and where they can expect to be listened to sensitively, and where support is available.

To help children recognize that uniqueness/difference is valued.

In implementing a programme to meet these objectives we recognize that Dalkey School Project National School already addresses many aspects of relationship and Sexuality Education in its Religious Education provision. This will provide a basis for the development of a full programme in this area.

Such a programme will be relevant for the stage of development of a particular age group. The teacher will answer factual questions within the programme as appropriate to the age group involved. The importance of relationships and sexuality information will be stressed and the children will be asked to be responsible about the information they are given.

ROLE OF PARENTS

It is recognized that parents are the prime providers of Relationship and Sexuality Education and that this education begins before the child enters the school. The function of the school is to play a supportive role in this area.

To ensure that parent’s wishes are taken into account in the introduction, development and implementation of a programme of Relationships and Sexuality Education the Board of Management will ensure that:

1. All parents are consulted on the development of a policy for Relationships and Sexuality Education.
2. Opportunities will be given to parents to advise them of the content of the programme to be taught at each level.
3. Children may be advised to ask a particular question at home.

Parents will have the right, if they have conscientious or moral objections, to withdraw their children from the more sensitive aspects of the programme on the basis of prior agreement between the parent and teacher. The principal will make arrangements for the supervision of such children.

THE ROLE OF THE TEACHERS

The principal and teaching staff will have the task of developing and implementing a programme designed to meet the needs of the children in the school and which will be consistent with the agreed policy.

In doing so it is recognized that

• They will need to assess the suitability of the draft curriculum guidelines being prepared by the national Council for Curriculum and Assessment for the needs and the ethos of Dalkey School Project National School.

They will need to assess the suitability of teaching materials available from outside sources.

They will require training in the design and delivery of the programme.

• Teachers will only be required to answer questions that pertain to the lesson.
• Teachers having participated in a training programme will have the right to opt out from teaching the programme.
• The Principal in consultation with the Board of Management will make alternative arrangements for that teacher’s class – (such arrangements may include teacher exchange/the employment of other personnel from the wider community.

REVIEW PROCESS

A body convened by the Board of Management and comprising representatives of the Board, parents and teachers will review the content and implementation of the Relationships and Sexuality Programme.