How Schools can Ensure Consent Education is Delivered Effectively

Consent education is now part of the national school curriculum for years K-10, and based on the hundreds of conversations I have had with principals, teachers, and educators in recent years, this is overdue and much needed. Students are demanding consent education is taught at school to help them understand how to lead and participate in respectful relationships, and society needs our education system to drive a preventative approach to end sexual violence.

However, delivering consent education in an effective way can be easier said than done. The federal government recently announced a $77.6 million investment into supporting schools to deliver consent education, which has been a necessary funding boost. It is now in the hands of schools and state governments collectively to ensure that funding makes a meaningful impact.

Acknowledging the Hurdles to Effective Consent Education
Educators across the country have told me and my team in recent months that while they are supportive of consent education being included in the curriculum, they have a range of challenges when it comes to delivery.

One of the biggest challenges is workload. Teachers have been voicing their concerns for years about the growing workloads, tightening resources, and increased pressure in the workplace. With consent education now an addition to their day-to-day expectations, many are struggling to find the time to develop effective lesson plans or the headspace to participate in discussions around consent.

Furthermore, there is a widespread concern around getting it ‘right’. Many adults today most likely did not receive consent and respectful education themselves. Teachers are increasingly cognisant of the risks of delivering health-related content, including consent education, in ways that could do more harm than good. Pressure is not just coming from students, who look to teachers for answers and best practice approaches. Parents and carers are also increasingly influential and can be great sources of stress, particularly for teachers who have had little or no training in this field.

The elephant in the room on top of these challenges is the reality that many adults, including teachers and principals, simply find the topic uncomfortable to talk about.

Investing in Teacher Development with Supportive Leadership
Research shows there needs to be buy-in and support of consent education programs from a leadership level to be effective. This ensures the program aligns with the school mission and vision. Studies also highlight the importance of professional learning for all school staff around gender equality and violence prevention, as well as in-school professional support for teachers delivering consent education. Teachers need the support of their Principals to get the appropriate time and resources to make the most of these learning opportunities.

Schools cannot afford to leave teachers unsupported when it comes to consent education. This is not just in relation to using evidence-based and unbiased content, but also in the continuity and consistency of students’ education, which research shows is critical to being effective.

For example, at schools my team have engaged with, we have heard from schools who provide us with a different point of contact each year. Other schools are asking a PDHPE teacher to deliver consent education one year, then deferring to external providers the following year, then asking a completely different teacher to pick this up in the third year. For the students across each grade, their experiences are staggered, disconnected, and - as a result - ineffective.

Schools have an opportunity now to plan ahead. Here is an initial list of actions to take immediately to help teachers long-term:
• Assign a dedicated person to oversee all wellbeing initiatives, including consent education, and how they are delivered across the school. This will help streamline logistics and costs, while maximising the impact of the programs. These additional responsibilities should be compensated for in ways that do not further add to the workload of the teachers in an unfair way.
• Plan for evidence-based consent education to be delivered consistently and sequentially - i.e. Year 8 content should flow on from Year 7 with long-term planning
• Prioritise teacher development and learning in evidence-based and best practice consent education, and check in with teachers regularly on the effectiveness of their training
• Survey students after consent education programs are delivered to understand what is working well, and where improvements could be made.Experts in respectful relationships and consent education highlight the need of a whole-of-community approach to ensure young people are supported in every aspect of their lives as they navigate consent. Schools play a pivotal role in young people’s communities, and the more we can empower and support teachers to deliver the consent education they want to provide and students deserve to receive, the safer our communities will be for today’s young people and future generations.