Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 February 2026
566. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of the submission made over two years ago by an organisation (details supplied) calling for the inclusion of health literacy and patient empowerment within the secondary school SPHE curriculum; the expected timeline for a decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8429/26]
View answer567. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will consider the inclusion of structured health literacy and patient empowerment content within the redevelopment of the SPHE/wellbeing curriculum at post-primary level; the current work underway between the Department, the NCCA and health sector stakeholders on this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8430/26]
View answer568. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will engage with an organisation (details supplied) and other relevant stakeholders on embedding health literacy and self-advocacy skills in the post-primary curriculum; if she will report on any planned consultations in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8431/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 566, 567 and 568 together.
Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a key part of the Primary and Post-Primary curriculum in Irish schools. SPHE provides vital opportunities for the development of children’s wellbeing in the physical, social, emotional and intellectual domains. Health literacy skills are incorporated throughout the updated SPHE curricula.
The organisation referred to by the Deputy made a written submission in 2023 as part of the consultation managed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in preparation for the development of the Senior Cycle SPHE curriculum. The submission can be viewed at: ncca.ie/media/ycnnpqiz/sc-sphe-written-submissions_groups.pdf
The NCCA also met with this organisation in February 2024, in the context of developing the updated senior cycle SPHE specification. It was clarified that the junior cycle SPHE specifications (published by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in May 2023 and rolled out for first years in all schools from September 2023) included a focus on this issue and that there would be a particular focus on health literacy in the senior cycle specification as well.
Within the specifications, health literacy is understood as 'the combination of personal competencies and resources needed for people to access, understand, appraise and use information and services to make decisions about health. It also includes the capacity to communicate, assert and act upon these decisions'.
Learning outcomes in the Junior Cycle SPHE specification include that students should be able to ‘demonstrate how to access and appraise appropriate and trustworthy information, supports and services about health and wellbeing, to ‘demonstrate how to access and appraise appropriate and trustworthy advice, support and services related to relationships and sexual health’, and to ‘demonstrate how to access and appraise appropriate and trustworthy information and services aimed at supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health.
An updated Senior Cycle SPHE specification was introduced in September 2025 for those entering Leaving Certificate Applied, replacing older modules within LCA Social Education. Post-Primary schools have until September 2027 to introduce the specification for other students entering fifth year, to accommodate the necessary planning and preparatory work. In senior cycle SPHE 'Being health literate' is a cross-cutting element which underpins all learning. In this context, being health literate 'involves building young people’s knowledge, confidence and comfort to access, understand, appraise and use information about health and services and make decisions for the health and wellbeing of themselves and those around them. Hence, being health literate means more than knowing how and where to access reliable and relevant information. It also involves being able to communicate, assert and act upon that information, including knowing when/how/ where to seek out relevant help and services. These skills become even more important as young people move into adulthood.
A number of its learning outcomes refer to health literacy. Students should be able to ‘recognise the signs and symptoms of low mood, stress and anxiety in themselves and others and recognise when help should be sought, where to go and how to access help if needed’, and to ‘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. They should also be able to ‘understand the components of sexual health including fertility across the life-cycle, reproductive choices, sexual functioning, safer sexual practices, possible responses to an unplanned pregnancy, and how to access sexual health information and services’.
