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These resources are listed to support teachers in planning for teaching and learning in senior cycle SPHE. They are not a prescriptive list of teaching resources as each teacher/school and class will decide what resources are best suited to their needs. Young people in senior cycle are typically from 15- 18/19 years. They will be at different stages of emotional, social and physical development and they will bring a wide variation of life experiences to their learning in SPHE/RSE. These resources* have been selected because they were developed for this age group by a state agency or organisation with a proven educational track record in the area of SPHE/RSE. The resources have been carefully mapped against the learning outcomes of the senior cycle SPHE framework to facilitate planning. However, the relevance and appropriateness of each one for a particular class needs to be considered by the class teacher as the teacher is best placed to discern what resource is suited to supporting learning for their students’ unique needs, stage of development and school context.
The criteria for selection of resources can be accessed here.
*Resources are hyperlinked throughout the toolkit - to acess a resource please click on the hyperlink. These links bring you to external sites.
Mindout 2: This is is a programme of 12 lessons for 15-18 yr olds, developed by the HSE to support young people’s social and emotional wellbeing. The programme focuses on the development of 5 core competencies for social and emotional learning - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management and responsible decision-making (revised 2017).
Little Things Campaign : This HSE campaign focuses on sharing evidence-based, simple and powerful day-to-day steps - little things that we can all do to protect our mental health. (2018).
Dove Choose Beautiful : This short video is a good conversation starter about body image and self-esteem. Developed as part of a larger awareness campaign by Dove (2015).
BodyWhys have developed a range of resources to support learning and teaching about eating disorders and body image issues and critical media literacy among adolescents.
MindYourSelfie : Resources developed by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services to help young people combat life’s stresses and promote positive mental health in their lives (2021).
Jigsaw Online : Jigsaw has developed a toolkit to support school staff to build the mental health literacy of young people, support them to manage their mental health and to develop help-seeking skills (2021).
Relaxation techniques: (DE/NEPS)
Wellbeing toolkit for post primary schools : Developed by NEPS for post primary schools, in the context of Covid-19 which is also useful in a wider context (2020).
Study Stress : Reachout is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people. Activities here include suggestions for how to adopt a growth mindset, how to manage stress and tips for building effective study habits. It was developed for 16-18 year olds.
Jigsaw : The National Centre for Youth Mental Health website provides information and support to help them deal with a range of challenges.
Parenting positively - Helping teenagers to deal with death : Helping teenagers to deal with death. This series was produced by Tusla - Child and Family Agency and Barnardos (2015).
Experiencing grief and loss : An information sheet for young people about grief and loss. Developed by the Australian youth mental health foundation. Further information available here.
Dealing with Grief and Loss : Information for young people from jigsawonline.ie (2020).
Resources to support young people dealing with death : Expert resources developed by Barnardos.
Mental Health : Reachout is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people. This site provides suggestions on how to increase students’ knowledge of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Each resource is catered to a different age group.
Jigsaw : This wesbite has information, exercises and tools that young people may find helpful to support their mental health and help deal with difficulties.
Living with the Black Dog : A WHO short video that provides a guide for carers, family and those living with or suffering from depression (2014).
Guidance : A webpage on how to identify reliable and age appropriate websites (2021).
Sample sites to review with students to build health literacy skills
Looking after your mental health : A HSE website with resources on how to support your mental wellbeing.
#MindYourSelfie : An annual social media campaign, hosted by St Patrick's Mental Health Services, to encourage conversations around mental health.
Barnardos : Resources for young people.
BelongTo : An organisation working to ensure that LGBTI+ young people are equal, safe, and valued in the diversity of their identities and experiences.
Reachout : Reachout is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people. Each resource is catered to a different age group.
Jigsaw / Working with young people : Here you can take an online course about building mental health literacy and learn how to promote positive mental health in schools. Jigsaw offers support and advice to young people aged 12-25 years old.
Senior Cycle Personal Safety Resource Pack : A programme of lessons developed by the PDST that explores relationships, consent, domestic and gender-based violence and much more (2016).
BodyRight : A set of 4 workshops developed by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre to teach about sexual violence, consent, online coercion and supporting someone who has been abused (2017).
Jesy Nelson’s 'Odd One Out' documentary : Provides a stimulus to discuss different types of abusive and bullying behaviour and its impact on individuals and their relationships (2019).
Background information
Jigsaw / Working with parents : This provides information created by Jigsaw clinicians about how parents and guardians can support young people’s mental health.
A mental health resource for youth workers and volunteers : This resource, produced by Headstrong - The National Centre for Youth Mental Health, provides a comprehensive overview of youth mental health.
Gender identity and gender expression e-resources for second level schools : This resource was designed by the University of Limerick to help teachers to understand and support diversity of gender identities (2020).
Through the Looking Glass - A Guide to Empowering Young People to Become Advocates for Gender Equality : Teaching and learning resources developed by the National Women’s Council of Ireland (2014).
Know the Score : Developed by the HSE, this is a comprehensive set of lessons to support teachers in facilitating learning about substance use and misuse with senior cycle students. Three videos supporting this resource and information about training available here (2019).
Substance use information and resources for teachers developed by the HSE (2019)
Ask about alcohol : HSE website with information about how alcohol affects health and wellbeing.
Alcohol and Drugs : A parent’s guide on how to communicate with your child about alcohol and other drugs. Published by the HSE Alcohol Programme (2018).
Straight Talk : A guide for parents on teenage drinking. Produced by The North West Alcohol Forum in conjunction with the Health Promotion Unit (2006).
Stress management
Mindout : This is a programme of 12 lessons for 15-18 year olds developed by the HSE to support young people’s social and emotional wellbeing (2017). For information on training contact [email protected]
Yes Project : A consent education programme developed by Youth Work Ireland to support RSE in informal education settings (2019).
Section 1, Activity three Comfort Stretch Panic
B4udecide : This resource was developed by the HSE for junior cycle and particular lessons that might also be useful in the context of senior cycle teaching and learning are listed below (2013).
Session 5: Influence of the media
Session 6: The Influence of friends
Session 7: Values
Session 8: Making decisions
Session 9: Self-esteem
Session 3: Friendships
Session 4: Healthy friendships
Session 10: Building a relationship
Session 11: Rights and responsibilities in a relationship.
Session 12: Age of consent
Session 13: Relationships Pressures
Let’s Get Real : A programme developed by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre that educates young people about the impact of the media, culture and pornography on relationships.
Consent – What do I need to know? : A fact sheet developed by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (2020).
Cycling Through Consent : This animated video, developed by Western University, takes on a fun and simple approach to looking at consent (2015).
Teaching about consent in PSHE Education at Key Stages 3 and 4 : Guidance and lesson plans developed by the PSHE Association UK (2015).
The Active Consent programme : Based in NUI Galway, this programme provides support to schools and colleges wishing to provide sexual consent education.
Consenthub.ie: This website, developed by NUI Galway's Active*Consent, focuses on consent and how it applies to all relationships, all genders, and all sexualities.
Session 15: Teenage Pregnancy
Session 16: Sexually Transmitted Infections
Background Information
Talking about Sexual Health : This resource, published by Youth Work Ireland, is designed to support youth workers to identify opportunities and to open up conversations with young people about sexual health and staying safe (2018).
Transforming the classroom : Supporting Trans Young People in Schools (TENI): Developed by TENI (2015).
Being LGBT in school : A resource for post-primary schools to prevent homophobic and transphobic bullying and support LGBT students. Published by GLEN (Gay and Lesbian Equality Network) (2016).
Personal rights and personal safety
Senior Cycle Personal Safety Resource Pack : A resource developed by PDST which explores a range of topics including Anger and conflict; Anger and violence; Negotiating and managing conflict; Domestic violence; Sexual violence; Dating violence and rape (2016).
Why is porn an issue for schools? : Ideas for schools on how to implement a broad, proactive approach to preventing the harms associated with pervasive and often-aggressive pornography.
Pornography – What do you need to know? : A fact sheet developed by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (2020).
It’s Time We Talked : An Australian website aimed at educating about the harm associated with children and young people’s exposure to and consumption of pornography.
A guide to talking to your teenager about consent and pornography : Published by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (2020).
Spunout : Ireland’s youth information website created by young people, for young people.
BeWiser : A resource to promote and support positive sexual health awareness and development. Developed by Sexual Health West.
Sexual Wellbeing : A website developed by the HSE to provide advice and information on all aspects of sexual health.
There is considerable overlap of learning between the learning outcomes in this section of the SPHE course and learning in leaving certificate PE that will benefit from collaborative planning and coordination across the PE and SPHE teams.