SchoolTV – Special Report for Parents
A Conversation about Consent
A recent petition, instigated by a former school girl from Sydney, calls for young women to come forward if they have been subjected to sexual assault whilst still at school. It has since gone viral with thousands of young women signing the petition or sharing their stories which are often graphic, disturbing and harrowing accounts of their experiences.
The petition calls for sex education, in particular consent, to be taught at a younger age in schools. The observation being that consent is being taught too late, with many young people not understanding the boundaries of consent resulting in sexual assault or rape. This call for change has made many schools reassess their curriculum around sex and life education to help protect young people across the nation. Our Leadership Team regularly review and enhance our programs to ensure the content and guest speakers are relevant to current issues. Further, it is also important that we work collaboratively with other schools and parents, to ensure we are working together to deliver a consistent message in addressing this important issue.
Parents also need to start having conversations around consent sooner rather than later, as some teens experience their first sexual encounter well before the subject matter is delivered. It is not enough for parents or carers to assume that your teenager knows or understands what consent means and the implications surrounding it. It is important for them to learn about boundaries to enable them to respect themselves and their partners.
This Special Report offers parents guidance around normalising the topic of consent to ensure your teenager experiences healthy and respectful relationships. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the School for further information or seek medical or professional help. Mrs Julie Brunckhorst, Dean of Student Wellbeing, or Mrs Kat Miers, School Counsellor – Psychologist, are both able to help with further information.
Please click here for the special report for parents.
Mrs Kim Kiepe
Principal