333. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there will be an update to the SPHE curriculum to further highlight the use and abuse of inhalants given the tragic death of a young student in Dublin 15. [10766/26]

Hildegarde Naughton, Minister for Education and Youth: The Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum addresses substance misuse at age and stage appropriate intervals throughout the cycle of learning of students in our schools. The SPHE curricula have been significantly reformed in recent years across primary and post-primary education.

The Primary Wellbeing specification includes the Strand Unit ‘Substances’ where children develop knowledge and skills to understand the potential impacts and risks associated with substance misuse, follow safety rules and make informed and responsible decisions to keep them safe. Students learn that certain substances and household products, such as cleaning products or aerosols, can be harmful or dangerous if used in ways they were not intended.

In the Junior Cycle SPHE specification, the ‘Making Healthy Choices’ strand focuses on learning about drugs, alcohol and other addictive behaviours and substances. This can include discussion of aerosols.

In Senior Cycle SPHE students examine social norms, attitudes and beliefs related to alcohol, tobacco/vaping and substance use, explain the pathways towards addiction, the signs and consequences of different kinds of addictions and where to go and how to access help, if needed, and also discuss and devise ways to safely manage social situations where their own or others’ health or safety may be at risk.

The last two decades have seen considerable evolution of NCCA’s curriculum review and development processes. An example includes the introduction, at post-primary, of early enactment reviews of individual subjects and modules. The purpose of these reviews is to monitor early enactment of the curriculum specification in schools. This involves consultations with teachers, children/students, school leaders and wider stakeholders, primarily through school visits, online surveys, and written submissions. Findings are published on the NCCA website, with necessary minor adjustments identified in the findings subsequently made to the specifications. These reviews have also informed the development of further supports, such as more tailored professional learning to assist schools’ work with the curriculum.

The SPHE curricula will be the subject of early enactment review, as described above, in the coming years.

Teachers can choose from a significant suite of resources to support them in preparing for and teaching SPHE. These resources include those in relation to substance misuse. These resources are being developed, reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis with the intention that teachers will be supported with relevant and accessible material to support them in tackling issues as they arise during the teaching of the SPHE curriculum, including the issue of inhalants and aerosols.