New curriculum regressive and fractured

Information on what schools and teachers should include in relationships and sexuality education was released on 28 October as part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum. The new curriculum is regressive and fractured, failing to give young people the comprehensive knowledge base they need to navigate their sexual health and relationships.

Chief executive Jackie Edmond says the draft curriculum, released for consultation yesterday, does not speak to the lived reality of young people in the 21st century.

"If young people are not given evidence-based information on these topics in school, they will seek it from other sources (our recent young people’s survey confirmed that) which is very concerning. This curriculum sidesteps several critical issues, leaving kids with significant gaps in their education around these topics that have real world consequences for their individual lives and relationships."

The term "sex education" has replaced Relationships and Sexuality Education in the new curriculum, signalling the ways in which these topics have been taken out of a comprehensive, holistic framework which had been captured in the 2020 Relationships and Sexuality Education Guidelines . These guidelines, which were recently removed, supported schools to implement internationally recognised best practice standards from years 0-13 in a holistic, comprehensive, inclusive and evidence-based way. The new curriculum does not provide a new set of guidelines and instead provides fractured, incomplete information on essential knowledge areas and skills.

"Some information on relationships is provided taught within the broader health curriculum but there is almost no information on sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex variation. Omitting these topics means that young people miss out on critical skills and knowledge to understand themselves and the world they live in. This puts young people’s safety at risk - both within and outside school," Ms Edmond says.

Sexual Wellbeing is also concerned that consent education is the only mandatory component of the RSE curriculum.

"All RSE information should be mandatory - not just consent. While consent is an important component of RSE, it needs to be taught and understood alongside other topics such as health relationships, sexual health, drug and alcohol use, and digital safety."

Other areas of concern:

LACKING CLARITY ON DELIVERY:
There is no information included on how much flexibility teachers would have in delivering this information.

LACKING INFORMATION ON DIVERSITY/INCLUSIVITY:
While the binary language has been removed it also does not provide inclusive language. There is no mention of gender identity or gender diversity.

Gender is only mentioned twice - once regarding gender roles and another around identity but not until Year 9.

This is woefully late and insufficient as young people grapple with these issues much earlier in their development.

Information on sexual orientation or LGBTQIA+ is completely absent.

TIMING IS TOO LATE:
Puberty is not discussed until Year 5 despite the fact that many young people are already well into these changes. Even if a young person is yet to start puberty at this age, they should know about it before it begins.

The same is true for menstruation which is not taught until Year 6 and without information about the implications for sexual activity such as unintended pregnancy.

There is also no information on sexual abuse, coercion, or violence.

There is not mention of learning about body parts.

Information about online safety and pornography is not until Year 8; this does not correspond to what we know about when young people begin to encounter this content (average age 11/Year 5).

RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT IS ABSENT:
Despite a domain for relationships there is scant information on relationships and how these might change over these years, particularly from Year 4 onward.

The effects of changing hormones or confusing feelings that may arise is absent.

There is no information on how to engage in healthy romantic relationships or identify those that are unhealthy or abusive.

LITTLE INFORMATION ON SEX EDUCATION:
Information on conception is not provided until Year 8.

Information on contraception is not provided until Year 10.

Information on condoms or how to use a condom is absent.