Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of Ireland, the government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the Republic of Ireland under the Belfast Agreement.  

Northern Ireland’s youth under the age of 25 make up about one-third of the population. In a 2002 survey of young people’s attitude on sexual health, findings showed that over half could name HIV as an STI, but less than one-quarter of youth could name any other STI besides HIV. Young people were most likely to learn about sex from their friends. An updated survey was published in 2022. While the UK has traditionally had the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy in Western Europe, recent years have seen a significant decline, especially in Northern Ireland. 

Sexuality education was first introduced in Northern Ireland through the Department of Education for Northern Ireland Guidance Circular 1987/45. The circular stated that all schools must have a written policy on sexuality education endorsed by the Board of Governors and communicated to parents. The teaching of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school-going age. Because the Department of Education requires schools only to teach RSE based on the ‘ethos of the school’, religious schools may use their own curriculum. As the majority of schools in the country are religious ones, this affects the majority of students in the country. In these cases, the Children's Law Centre (CLC) reports that ‘important RSE content may be excluded’.

Northern Ireland uses the term ‘Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)’ to describe comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). While it is not explicitly defined, it can be found in policy documents such as Circular 2001/15, Circular 2010/01, and Circular 2013/16. The circulars describe RSE, stating that it should ‘put primary emphasis upon what is positive and good in relationships between the sexes and should also include treatment of those matters about which people have diverse and deeply held views, for example, methods of family planning, including contraception, abortion, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, homosexuality and pornography ... The delivery of RSE must prepare pupils to view relationships in a responsible and healthy manner and should be taught in harmony with the ethos of the school and reflect the moral and religious principles held by parents and school management authorities.’ 

According to the RSE Guidance Document, RSE is a lifelong process that encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, understanding and skills, and the development of attitudes, beliefs and values about sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. RSE in primary schools should provide children with opportunities to: value themselves as unique individuals; respect themselves and others; begin to develop their own moral thinking and value systems; learn about friendships, healthy relationships and behaviours with others; recognise and communicate their feelings and emotions and those of others; learn about the changes that occur as they progress towards adolescence, particularly the emotional and physical changes at puberty; and learn about keeping themselves safe and know what to do or who to go to if they feel unsafe.

The 1989 Education Reform Order and the 1986 Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order form the basis of the current education system in Northern Ireland. The Education Reform Order details six cross-curriculum themes, one of which is health education. The section on the curriculum has since been repealed and replaced by the 2006 Education (Northern Ireland) Order, which includes the compulsory component Learning for Life and Work. RSE is taught within this component of primary and post-primary education. 

Guidance Circular 1987/45 was the first circular to instruct that all schools must have a written policy on sexuality education. The sexuality education programme must ‘be taught in a sensitive manner which is in harmony with the ethos of the school or college and in conformity with the moral and religious principles held by parents and school management authorities.’  

The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 prohibits the discrimination and harassment of people based on sexual orientation. A judicial review found that legally, these regulations did not have to apply to the curriculum and that ‘articulating the orthodox religious view on homosexuality in the classroom does not relate to access, a benefit or a detriment’ under the Regulations. 

Circular 2010/01 was released as an addendum to Circular 2001/15, which outlines guidance to schools on the provision of RSE. According to these circulars, RSE should ‘put primary emphasis upon what is positive and good in relationships between the sexes and should also include treatment of those matters about which people have diverse and deeply held views, for example, methods of family planning, including contraception, abortion, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, homosexuality and pornography’. This circular also advises schools to take account of the Equality Commission’s 2009 guidance on Eliminating Sexual Orientation Discrimination in Northern Ireland in accordance with the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006. 

Circular 2013/16 aims to remind schools of their responsibility to deliver RSE, stating that ‘RSE is an integral part of the revised curriculum in both primary and post-primary schools and must be delivered in a sensitive manner which is appropriate to the age and understanding of pupils and the ethos of the school.’ The circular also reminds schools of the need to take into account guidance produced by the Equality Commission on eliminating sexual orientation discrimination. 

Circular 2015/22 provides new guidance documents for RSE. The revised guidance document focuses on ‘providing advice and a template for the development of a school’s RSE policy which is relevant to the lives of pupils today; providing an overall framework for a school’s RSE policy; and, for instance, looking at how schools interact with pupils, focussing on the need to make pupils feel safe and confident that they should not be bullied, for example, due to their sexual orientation.’

The Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has developed the RSE Progression Framework, which provides a non-statutory progression pathway in RSE from the foundation stage to the post-16 level. The priority areas for RSE include: consent; developments in contraception; domestic and sexual violence and abuse; healthy, positive sexual expression and relationships; internet safety; LGBTQ+ matters; social media and their effects on relationships and self-esteem; teen parenting; and menstrual wellbeing.  

The CCEA has also published guidance documents on the delivery of RSE. The guidance documents are available for primary and post-primary schools. They set out the minimum contents required for schools to teach. At the primary level, foundation stage, key stage 1 and key stage 2, the themes are: relationships; the body and development (health, growth and change); and safety and wellbeing (self-awareness, feelings and emotions). Topics include self-awareness; feelings and emotions; health, growth and change; safety; relationships; managing conflict; and similarities and differences. Issues and ideas that are covered further within these topics are conflict resolution, human rights, puberty, body parts, reproduction and sexual maturation.  

In post-primary schools, key stage 3, key stage 4 and the post-16 level, RSE is under the Learning for Life and Work compulsory component. The main themes are self-awareness, relationships and health. RSE strands include: ensuring that students have the opportunities to develop understanding about, and strategies to manage, the effects of change on the body, mind and behaviour; and exploring the implications of sexual maturation and sexual activity. Example topics are provided and these include understanding rules and boundaries, sexism, puberty, sexual health, fertility, contraception, conception, teenage pregnancy, childbirth, STIs, and relationships.

Teacher preparedness and capacity building: The Education and Training Inspectorate conducted two reports at the primary and post-primary levels regarding the delivery of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). The reports found that teachers ‘lack confidence and/or are uncomfortable in delivering the sensitive aspects of RSE and require specific training on teaching sexuality.’ The Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has developed a hub for training and professional development for RSE. In this hub, the CCEA has compiled links to outside organisations that offer training and support for teachers and other educators. They also conduct online webinars that are available for all teachers to access. Schools may choose the type of training that best meets their needs. 

Whether teachers are mandated to be trained on provision/delivery of sexuality education either as part of PRESET or INSET: While schools are advised to include teacher training in their RSE policy, it is not a policy of the Department of Education to mandate teachers to take pre-service or in-service training in order to deliver RSE.