To ask the Minister of Education (i) for his assessment of the 2023 Education and Training Inspectorate Report on the Preventative Curriculum; and (ii) whether he intends to implement protocols to prevent further rises in Problematic Sexual Behaviour or Harmful Sexual Behaviour.

The Department commissioned the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) to undertake a thematic evaluation of The Preventative Curriculum in Schools and EOTAS Centres. The 2023 ETI report contained a series of recommended next steps, and highlighted that the focus should be on the development of pupils’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours set within a culture of respect and responsibility, with guidance required for school leaders and governors in relation to how this can be led and managed.

Through a Task and Finish Group, my Department is currently considering its response to the ETI thematic evaluation, including the actions which key delivery partners will be required to take to address the report’s findings. My officials will continue to engage with key stakeholders, schools and young people as part of this process. Guidance for schools will then be considered. It is anticipated that any additional or updated guidance will be published later in the year.

From a safeguarding perspective, where there is concern in relation to harmful sexual behaviour in schools, the applicable protocols are outlined in the following DE Circular: https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/circular-202202-children-who-display-harmful-sexual-behaviour. My officials continue to work with colleagues in the Department of Health and Department of Justice on relevant strategies, including the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy and the Gillen Review, to take forward any appropriate actions for education settings and to assist in the overall approach to addressing the issue of harmful or problematic sexual behaviour.