Wellbeing: Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships Term 3 Update

Elsternwick Primary School is a proud Respectful Relationships school.

Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships education is part of the Victorian Curriculum and is delivered by all Victorian government schools. It supports students to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to build and maintain respectful relationships. Our school uses the Department of Education’s evidence-based teaching and learning resources to teach our students about Respectful Relationships from Prep to Grade 6.

This term, students will engage in learning activities from topics 7 and 8. The learning is delivered in an age appropriate way with scenarios and examples that can be easily connected to the students’ everyday lives. Details for each topic are listed below.

Topic 7 - Gender norms and stereotypes

Students consider the influence of gender norms on attitudes, opportunities and behaviour. They learn about gender equality, inclusion, human rights and the importance of relationships that respect people of all genders.

Foundation lesson example

Topic 7 - Activity 4: Everyone can be strong and gentle

This lesson is informed by the evidence base that gender norms influence beliefs about emotional experience and self expression. This activity challenges gender norms by demonstrating that both girls and boys can be strong and gentle. It sets the same standards for self control for all, regardless of gender.

Teachers also reinforce the importance of self control where you must be strong to control your feelings and your body, and gentle in the way you move and speak.

Topic 8 - Positive gender relationships

Students develop an age appropriate understanding of safe and unsafe behaviours and consent. They also develop help seeking skills that they can use in response to situations involving harmful or unwanted situations within family, peer, school, community or online relationships.

Level 3-4 lesson example

Topic 8 - Activity 4: Using the No, Go, Tell model in response to gender based violence

Evidence shows that self care and help seeking strategies empower children to assert their rights over their own bodies. This lesson links learning from prior RR&RR lessons to help build children's awareness that their body belongs to them and that they have the right to say ‘no’ and to seek help.

The lesson uses the students' understanding of safe and unsafe behaviours to identify when they need to seek help and how they can seek help. Students are introduced to the No, Go, Tell model, where they should:

Say no (for example, ask the person or people making them feel unsafe to stop)
Go if they can (for example, walk away or get offline)
Tell a trusted person (for example, let someone know what happened or ask for help).

The class then reads a range of relevant scenarios and engages in role play to show how the No, Go, Tell model can be used to help someone who is feeling unsafe.

If you have any questions about Respectful Relationships education, you can contact Leanne Williams or Eliza Solly. Additional information can also be found on the Victorian Government’s Respectful Relationships page: https://www.vic.gov.au/respectful-relationships

Eliza Solly

Year 3 Team Leader and RRRR Coordinator