'Children need lessons in relationship and sexuality - but without Catholic Church influence' A group of concerned parents and teachers in Cork have started a conversation about the place of religion in the teaching of Relationships and Sexuality Education in our schools, following the publication of the recent Flourish report. Member Maire de Barra tells us more. Minister for Education Norma Foley. Parents and teachers have launched a petition calling her to remove the religious ethos from RSE. Maire de Barra WHAT is RSE? It is the most important class our students take. In this class they learn about themselves, their peers, the society we live in and who and what we accept in that society. Teachers guide them in some of the trickier issues that arise as they develop from small five-year-olds wondering about the differences between girls and boys to mature eighteen-year-olds navigating the challenges of sexual relationships.