Dear Parent/Guardian,
As part of the Social, Personal and Health Education curriculum your son/daughter will be offered a module on Relationship and Sexuality Education during SPHE class over the next term. This is a continuation of the programme taught in primary school, First year and Second Year.
According to the SPHE curriculum and guidelines there are six topics to be covered with Third Years in the RSE module. These are:
- Healthy and unhealthy relationships, Relationship difficulties
- Sex, sexuality, sexual health
- From conception to birth*
- Being LGBT, Growing up Transgender
- Consent
- Media- sex and sexuality
*The content of this module includes information on contraception and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s).
If you decide that you do not want your son/daughter to receive this module in school then please write a note into school in your child’s Dialann within the next three days. Should you choose this option then arrangements will be made to remove your son/daughter from the class during the lessons and then as a parent you take on the responsibility of teaching RSE. Should you have any other questions please contact Ms Martin at the school and she will try to answer any concerns you may have.
Guidelines for Parents Regarding the Relationships and Sexuality Education Programme at Ratoath College
The following guidelines have been put in place to ensure everyone is happy with the delivery of the R.S.E programme. These are taken from our R.S.E policy which along with other school policies is available to parents on request from the office. Please read through the guidelines and do not hesitate to contact staff should you have any queries or comments.
• The sections within the R.S.E programme which have been identified as sensitive issues will be taught from Mid Term onwards during S.P.H.E.
• The program is taught within the ethos of the school and contemporary issues or topics are dealt with by the teacher at a level appropriate to the age and stage of development of pupils within a moral framework.
• Relationships and Sexuality Education is an ongoing process throughout life. The child’s first experience of love, of intimacy and of relationships takes place in the family. Parents and the family are acknowledged as primary educators of their children. We work in a supportive role with parents by complementing their role with a school based program in R.S.E.
• RSE is concerned with helping young people learn how they can create and maintain healthy, positive relationships—with self, family, friends and other relationships (including as they mature, romantic relationships).
• A parent’s right to withdraw people from sensitive issues lessons will be honored on the understanding that parents are taking full responsibility for this aspect of education themselves. Parents are obliged to inform the school in writing of their decision to withdraw the child from the sensitive issues classes. Supervision will be arranged in school during the lessons.
• Parents are encouraged to discuss topics covered in class in a healthy and appropriate manner.
• Support is offered to parents in the form of information sources and support agencies to assist the parents to inform the young person in an accurate and suitable way.
Parents may find the following resources helpful:
- https://sexualwellbeing.ie/for-parents/resources/booklets/making-the-big-talk-many-small-talks-13-to-18.pdf
- https://curriculumonline.ie/Junior-cycle/Short-Courses/SPHE/SPHE-RSE-toolkit/Relationships-and-sexuality-education-FAQs/
- https://www.sexualwellbeing.ie/for-parents/resources/relationships-and-sexuality-education-%E2%80%93-going-forward-together.pdf
- https://www.sexualwellbeing.ie/for-parents/busy-bodies-english-language.pdf
The school has no responsibility for any information which the pupil may receive outside the direct teaching of R.S.E. lessons.