Parents will still have the right to withdraw their children from sex education, Minister for Education Norma Foley has said. The Constitution recognises parents as the primary educators of their children. A new Relationships and Sexuality Education programme has been drafted for Junior Certificate children.

Ms Foley said: “I want to be clear around this: we operate in our schools a spirit of partnership with our parents, the wider section of stakeholders and partners within education. We retain within our schools parental consent at all times for parents to feel that they have freedom to withdraw their students from anything that is happening within a school environment.

“That is important. I know the value of that parental consent in schools, and I know the value of it in all other aspects of life.”