Empowering Students Through Body Safety Education

The role of a school is centred around both the academic and personal growth of a young person. As school leaders, we understand the profound impact a school can have on a student during their formative years. In a world where social media standards and media reports dominate much of what we see, a great education adds depth and context to all they encounter.

For young women, no topic is more important right now than their safety and confidence in self. We see confidence in self in the decisions they make, who they confide in, and how they speak up and seek help.

To build this confidence, we must create a judgement-free safe space where they can learn and ask questions. We need to empower them with the information necessary to make informed decisions. Teaching body safety is a crucial part of this education, as it lays the foundation for recognising inappropriate behaviour, asserting boundaries, avoiding potentially harmful situations, and keeping young people safe.

Body Education Program: Pre Prep to Year 6

Our Body Education program, designed for students from Pre Prep to Year 6, plays a vital role in this empowerment. For Pre-Prep to Year 3 students, the program includes engaging lessons that promote awareness of protective behaviours. These lessons emphasise the right to feel safe, help students identify early warning signs, and teach them what actions to take if they feel unsafe.

Describing physical sensations like butterflies in the tummy, a fast-beating heart, and sweaty palms helps children establish their comfort levels in interactions. Additionally, recognising trusted adults in their safety network is a key element, reinforcing the assurance that “nothing is so awful that we can’t talk about it with someone." Learning the anatomical names for private body parts and expressing emotions are also crucial for developing empowered young people who understand and respect their bodies.

For students in Year 4 to Year 6, the body education program consists of sequential lessons that build on the awareness of the right to feel safe and the importance of seeking support from trusted adults. As children grow and mature, these lessons prepare them for the physical and emotional changes experienced during puberty. An explanation of reproduction is also explored in Year 6, covered in stages appropriate to their development.

Expanding Body Safety Education: Year 7 to Year 12

As students transition into their secondary years, body safety education expands to introduce topics such as consent, healthy relationships, digital safety, peer and societal pressures, and more complex situations that involve critical thinking and risk analysis. Students from Year 7 to 12 participate in a range of age-appropriate programs delivered either internally or by external experts.

In the early years of secondary school, students continue to learn more about themselves, their rights, and their relationships. Topics such as friendships, personal boundaries, gender stereotypes, difficult conversations, and respectful relationships are all incorporated to help build a sense of identity and confidence, ultimately contributing to their wellbeing and security.

In the later years of formal schooling, the focus shifts to include robust discussions about safe risk-taking and harm minimisation. Students at this stage may feel more pressure to conform and begin participating in various activities of increasing risk. Therefore, it is imperative that they are forewarned and forearmed to deal with such situations.

Continuous education and resources for parents and carers

Teaching body safety, amongst other important developmental themes, across all ages and revisiting these messages throughout their school life is integral to the wellbeing and personal security of our young people. This consistent education is not only important as they go through childhood and adolescence, but also key in developing them into informed, empowered, and confident teenagers and adults. By consistently teaching and reinforcing body safety, we ensure our students grow up understanding and respecting themselves and others, equipped to navigate the complexities of childhood, adolescence, and beyond.

For further reading, Body Safety Australia has lots of great resources about prevention education and step-by-step guides for parents and carers to help protect children from abuse.