Bloom-Ed highlights some positive inclusions in the Curriculum including:

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• Consent and respectful relationships are prioritised and mandated from Foundation – Year 10.

• Topics essential to the prevention of sexual violence such as consent (such as seeking, giving, and denying permission, coercion), addressing gender stereotypes and societal gender roles, managing rejection, protective behaviours (such as the as correct names for body parts), and help-seeking strategies are identified.

• Puberty education now commences in grade 3 or 4, when previously it was left until the last years of primary school.

 

Young people have the right to receive information about their bodies, how to protect themselves, and how to navigate all sorts of relationships. For these reasons, Bloom-Ed does see some opportunities for improvement in the Curriculum, particularly:

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• The act of ‘sex’ is not mentioned anywhere. This has the potential to create confusion or knowledge gaps for young people. It may also reinforce the stigma or negative messaging that is often associated with sex. It is impossible for a contemporary and evidence-based program to appropriately teach young people about relationships and sexuality, if the act of ‘sex’ is never acknowledged or explained. This could be implemented in an age-appropriate manner from upper primary school into secondary school.
   

• Respectful relationships are mentioned repeatedly, without sufficient explanation of what should or should not be covered by these lessons. If guidance is too vague, there will be wide variability in how this topic is addressed and schools may overly focus on violence prevention, instead of equipping young people with information and skills that will help them to develop healthy, enjoyable relationships. More effort is also required to ensure young people develop appropriate communication skills that will help them to navigate conflict and engage in difficult conversations.
   

• Guidance around puberty education is too vague and there should be clear expectations that young people need to learn about the physical, emotional, and social changes related to puberty. This sort of education should also extend into secondary school.
   

• The requirement to teach young people about safer sex practices to prevent STIs and different contraceptive options is only listed as an elaboration. It is therefore not a requirement that schools teach these vital topics.
   

• The concept of reproduction is mentioned in various places, but there is no expectation or requirement for schools to teach about the process of human reproduction if they do not want to.
   

• The concept of pornography is also listed as an elaboration when it comes to properly instructing young people about media literary. Pornography and sexually explicit content are so ubiquitous these days, so it is critical that schools do not avoid these topics.
   

• Sadly, there is no requirement for any student in years 11 and 12, to receive lessons about health, relationships, or sexuality. This is precisely the time when these important conversations need to continue.

It is important to note that the scorecard focuses on the guidance that is provided in the Australian V9 Curriculum. It is not an indication of the quality of relationships and sexuality education that might be delivered by individual schools. Evidence suggests that the actual delivery and teaching of this content varies on depth, quality and consistency across Australia.

A comprehensive and clearly worded curriculum is an important starting point. This provides clarity for schools, families, and young people. It also ensures every student receives the same level of education. However, for relationships and sexuality education to be effectively implemented, school staff must have support from their leadership teams and be given access to evidence-based resources and professional learning opportunities.

Bloom-Ed also advocates for a whole-of-school approach. This evidence-based approach is applied to numerous health and social issues. It means that relationships and sexuality education, and associated issues: are valued and supported by school leadership and acknowledged in school policy; that comprehensive content is delivered by competent and confident school staff; that key messages are modelled and reinforced beyond the classroom; that appropriate connections are made with external groups who can support young people; and that clear communication is provided to school families. At the present time, most schools receive little to no support to deliver a whole-of-school program.

Bloom-Ed welcomes ongoing discussion regarding how our school curriculum can better support the sexual health and wellbeing of young people. Focus also needs to shift to ensure schools are adequately resourced to provide these best-practice methods. Finally, young people should be actively involved in these discussions.

Bloom-Ed is a collective of teachers, researchers, sexologists, students, parents, and activists who operate as an alliance – in conjunction with other organisations – to advocate for comprehensive relationship and sexuality education that is evidence-based and improves young people’s hearts, minds, and bodies. Bloom-Ed’s main purpose is to improve relationship and sexuality education throughout Australia.