Sex Education Policy
The School’s Sex Education Programme aims:
- to promote self-respect, and respect for other people
- to develop a sense of moral responsibility
- to provide appropriate opportunities for discussion and debate
- to encourage better communications between pupils and their parents and family
- to promote sexual health
- to address the issues of social and peer pressure
- to increase awareness of Child Protection issues
The programme is delivered within the curriculum, and provides pupils with information which:
- is appropriate to the age of the pupil
- is factually accurate
- gives due respect and regard to the values of family life
It also seeks to afford pupils the opportunity to:
- explore their feelings and emotions
- challenge their own, and other people’s values
- make informed decisions about their own behaviour
The programme is delivered as follows:
FORM I Within Health Education classes
Content: Male/Female differences, adolesence, conception and the development of the foetus, the birth of a baby, child development, relationships, love and marriage.
Within Physical Education classes
Proctor and Gamble Nurse: Talk to girls
FORM III Within Biology classes
Content: Puberty, physical and emotional changes, menstruation, development of sex organs, development of foetus, healthy pregnancy, birth, child development. Sexual behaviour, attitudes and responsibilities, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases.
Within Home Economics classes
Content: Child development; physical, social, intellectual
Within Religious Studies classes
Content: Making moral choices, love (family and friends), sex and sexuality, marriage, cohabitation, homosexuality.
FORM IV Within Home Economics classes
Content: Family life – relationships
Within Religious Studies classes
Content: Boy/girl relationships, sexuality, marriage. Sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, pregnancy, contraception (methods). Attitudes to abortion.
Within Tutorial classes
Content: Love, lifestyle and health, families, issues for family and society.
FORM V Within Biology classes
Content: Secondary sexual characteristics, structure and function of the reproductive systems, development of the foetus, healthy pregnancy, birth, child development. Intra-personal relationships, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Contraception, multiple births, infertility problems and IVF treatment.
Within Home Economics classes
Content: Coursework on pregnancy
Within Religious Studies classes
Content: Sexuality, marriage, relationships.
Love for Life: Icebergs and Babies
FORM VI Within Home Economics classes
Content: Sexually transmitted infections, AIDS; the effect on the family and the role of the government.
Within Religious Studies classes
Content: Homosexuality, IVF treatment, genetics and the issues surrounding research.
Within Biology classes
Content: DNA structure and function, genetic engineering techniques and applications of this technology. Biological principles underlying IVF treatments and the implantation of embryos as remedies for human infertility, inheritance patterns for human characteristics, human chromosome karyotypes and abnormalities.
School News
OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION
9th May 2008
Annual Dinner - Ramada Hotel, Belfast
REUNION OF GIRLS’ HOCKEY & TENNIS CUP WINNING TEAMS 1956-1961
26th Apr 2008
To be held on Saturday 26th April 2008