278. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education if there are plans to introduce additional measures through the school curriculum to deal with issues in relation to minors who gamble (details supplied); if she will outline what measures are in place presently, if any; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39723/23]

Norma Foley, Minister for Education: Schools have a role to play in supporting their students to develop the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices when faced with a range of difficult issues, including drugs, alcohol and gambling. This is mainly done through the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme.

SPHE forms part of the mandatory Wellbeing area of learning at Junior Cycle. Wellbeing in Junior Cycle is about young people feeling confident, happy, healthy and connected, and it is one of the principles that underpins Junior Cycle education.

An updated Junior Cycle SPHE specification was published by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in May 2023 and is being rolled out for first years in all schools from this month. It places a strong focus on the development of important life skills that young people need growing up in a fast changing and complex world. The learning outcomes of the Making Healthy Choices strand in the updated specification include that students should be able to "discuss societal, cultural and economic influences affecting young people when it comes to making healthy choices about smoking, alcohol and other addictive substances and behaviours, and how harmful influences can be overcome in real-life situations". In the specification’s Glossary of Key Terms, addictive behaviours are defined as including “gaming, gambling and social media addictions” .

Work is ongoing to update the SPHE specification for Senior Cycle. In the course of consultation on the Background Paper and Brief for the redevelopment of Senior Cycle SPHE, participants commonly talked about addictive substances and behaviours such as alcohol use and gambling and the need for students to be enabled to recognise addiction and the impact of addiction on emotional wellbeing, on decision-making and on family and friends. This learning is addressed in the draft specification which is currently open for consultation until 18 October. I encourage everyone to submit their views to this consultation before then, which can be done via the NCCA’s website, www.ncca.ie

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Dáil Éireann debate. Question 335 - School curriculum [40180/23]

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2023-09-20/335/#pq_335

335. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education the steps she is taking to ensure that schools-based gambling education and awareness remains free from the influence of the gambling industry; if she intends to introduce gambling education and awareness in the post-primary curriculum at both junior and senior cycle; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40180/23]

Norma Foley, Minister for Education: Schools have a role to play in supporting their students to develop the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices when faced with a range of difficult issues, including drugs, alcohol and gambling. This is mainly done through the SPHE programme. SPHE forms part of the mandatory Well-being area of learning at Junior Cycle. Well-being in Junior Cycle is about young people feeling confident, happy, healthy and connected, and it is one of the principles that underpins Junior Cycle education.

An updated Junior Cycle SPHE specification was published by the NCCA in May 2023 and is being rolled out for first years in all schools from this month. It places a strong focus on the development of important life skills that young people need growing up in a fast changing and complex world. The learning outcomes of the Making Healthy Choices strand in the updated specification include that students should be able to "discuss societal, cultural and economic influences affecting young people when it comes to making healthy choices about smoking, alcohol and other addictive substances and behaviours, and how harmful influences can be overcome in real-life situations". In the specification’s Glossary of Key Terms, addictive behaviours are defined as including “gaming, gambling and social media addictions”.

Schools are also encouraged to deliver the SPHE programme in Senior Cycle. In the course of the consultation on the Background Paper and Brief for the redevelopment of Senior Cycle SPHE, participants commonly talked about addictive substances and behaviours such as alcohol use and gambling and the need for students to be enabled to recognise addiction and the impact of addiction on emotional well-being, on decision-making and on family and friends. This learning is addressed in the draft specification which is currently open for consultation, running until 18 October. I encourage everyone to submit their views on this consultation, which can be done via the NCCA’s website, www.ncca.ie.

It would not be appropriate that resources or materials produced or funded by the gambling industry, for education and awareness on gambling, to be in use in our schools. There are protocols in place to ensure that strict criteria are observed by schools when inviting external agencies to address students about particular issues. The Department provides clear guidance to schools on the engagement of outside speakers and on the use of external resources to assist in delivering the curriculum. These guidelines are most recently outlined in updated circular 0042/2018 for primary schools and 0043/2018 for post primary schools. Programmes delivered by visitors or external agencies must use appropriate evidence-based methodologies with clear educational outcomes.

These circulars also require that all materials proposed for use by external providers must be approved in advance by the principal and Board of Management, be age and stage appropriate for pupils and be in line with the ethos of the school, and the principles of the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum. This applies both to resources such as literature, and to workshops that may be held in schools.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) provides guidelines for teachers in choosing resources for use in their SPHE programme. In these guidelines the NCCA encourages teachers to question the origin and funding of such resources as well as the evidence base used in their production. If, for example, resources are funded by parties with conflicts of interests, then they should not be used in schools.