Plan sexuality and gender education years 1-8
Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Developing an inclusive classroom and curriculum’
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Use the Sexuality Education Guide
Use the Sexuality Education Guide
The Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide provides staff and boards of trustees with the skills, knowledge and understanding to develop positive attitudes towards relationships and sexuality.
Capture student voice
Capture student voice
Students from intermediate schools speak about their experiences.
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Match learning to children’s development
Match learning to children’s development
In Years 1 to 3
- Children are interested in pregnancy and birth. Some may be aware of the connection between “making babies” and sexual pleasure.
- Some children will become aware that not everyone is heterosexual.
- Children have a growing awareness of sanctioned gender roles, such as “girls don’t like motorbikes” or “boys don’t cry”.
Focus areas for this age group include:
- friendships, belonging and the different types of relationships
- changes in growth and identifying body parts
- questioning and discussing gender stereotypes and norms
- Understanding personal identities and how they can differ
- identifying stereotypes
- contributing to and following inclusive guidelines
- sharing and expressing feelings.
In Years 4 to 8
- All children need to know about pubertal change before it happens
- Sometimes children feel anxious about puberty
- Children may go into and out of gender segregation, applying harsh gender stereotypical rules and censure to each other’s behaviour
- Some children will have an interest in expressing their sexuality in dress
- Children may begin to show an interest in ‘who loves who’
Focus areas for this age group include:
- pubertal change as well how to support ourselves and others through that change
- developing a positive body image
- how pubertal change can impact on wellbeing, and how it relates to social norms around gender and sexuality
- how social messages and stereotypes about relationships, sexuality, and gender affect your wellbeing, and the wellbeing of others
- planning strategies for positive relationships
- messages related to gender, sexuality, and diversity.
Source: Catching on early: Sexuality education for Victorian primary school (opens in a new tab/window)
Create spaces of belonging
Create spaces of belonging
Source: InsideOUT
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Tips for developing programmes
Tips for developing programmes
Successful programmes are:
- well planned, informed by theory and evidence, and up-to-date
- integrated into the curriculum, with clear achievement objectives identified
- aimed at influencing specific risk factors/protective factors/core competencies
- focused on developing personal and social skills
- developmentally, personally, and culturally appropriate
- designed to include critical thinking and reflection
- not focused solely on dangers, risks, and prevention but explore the meanings associated with sex and sexuality for individuals and society
- assessed according to learning (not behaviour)
- connected with the social worlds of children and young people
- informed by the needs and perspectives of students
- linked with families and communities
- considerate of environmental influences and contemporary issues and practices
- designed using active and interactive teaching methods, including inquiry-based learning
- planned and delivered by teachers who have the requisite knowledge and the appropriate skills, values, and qualities
- resourced appropriately, including in relation to teachers’ professional development needs
- supported by documented guidelines and school-wide practices.
Source: Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga (opens in a new tab/window)
Useful resources
Useful resources
Inside Out for Year 7–8 students
This episode is one of a set of video-based teaching resources that aim to decrease homophobic and transphobic bullying in New Zealand. It includes a brief summary of episodes 1–5, with an emphasis on gender diversity and a reduced focus on sexual diversity.
Publisher: RainbowYOUTH
Relationships and Sexuality Education Guide: Years 1–8
Read time: 10 min
These resources for teachers and students are designed to support schools to develop and implement their sexuality education programmes.
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Develop an inclusive classroom and curriculum”:
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Current page Plan sexuality and gender education years 1-8
Return to the guide “Supporting LGBTQIA+ students”
How to use this site
Guide to Index of the guide: LGBTQIA+ students
Understand:
Strategies for action:
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Build knowledge of sex, gender, and sexuality diversityShow suggestions for Build knowledge of sex, gender, and sexuality diversity
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Design inclusive school-wide systems and processesShow suggestions for Design inclusive school-wide systems and processes
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Address immediate environmental, physical and social needsShow suggestions for Address immediate environmental, physical and social needs
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Develop an inclusive classroom and curriculumShow suggestions for Develop an inclusive classroom and curriculum
- Develop inclusive classroom routines
- Use inclusive language
- Make LGBTQIA+ content visible
- Use targeted programmes to facilitate discussion
- Plan sexuality and gender education years 1-8
- Plan sexuality and gender education years 9-13
