FAQs

Our programs are delivered by educators who are specially trained to deliver engaging and interactive sessions. All lesson plans and teaching materials are provided by SEA. Each educator is chosen for their ability to build genuine connections with young people and is committed to creating a safe and respectful learning environment. We use evidence-based teaching strategies aligned with best practice in health education, ensuring our sessions are age-appropriate, inclusive and thoughtfully delivered. All educators hold a current Working with Children Check or are VIT-registered teachers.

Yes, our programs are mapped to both the Victorian Curriculum F (Prep) – 10 and the Australian Curriculum (ACARA), specifically within the Health and Physical Education learning area and include content related to relationships and sexuality education.

Our programs are costed on a per-grade basis at primary level, and on a student-number basis for secondary. We don’t charge per head. Our costs are in line with other industry organisations and you can receive a quote by contacting bookings@seaprograms.com.au

To make a booking, email us at bookings@seaprograms.com.au or for primary schools, please fill out the form here.

We teach students in mixed gender groups. Learning together helps young people understand each other’s perspectives, practise respectful communication, and see that many of their questions and concerns are shared, which goes a long way in normalising these conversations.

We understand that some schools, particularly faith-based schools or those with cultural considerations, may prefer separate sessions. We’re happy to accommodate this. Just contact our bookings officer to discuss what works best for your school.

Yes. We are experienced in working sensitively within faith-based settings and are happy to discuss your school’s specific needs. In practice, our programs are grounded in accurate, age-appropriate information and delivered respectfully, which means many faith-based schools find they work well without modification. Where a school does have specific requirements, we are always happy to have that conversation. Please contact our bookings officer to ask.

You can view our primary school programs here.

You can view our secondary school programs here.

We believe the answer is both and that the two work best together. School-based programs are designed to complement, not replace, the conversations you have at home. We know that parents and caregivers are the most important and enduring influence in a young person’s life, and our programs are built around that belief.

That said, we also know that not every child has a trusted adult at home who feels confident having these conversations, and for those children, school-based education can be genuinely protective. Our programs are designed to open doors rather than close them. To give young people scientifically accurate, age-appropriate information and to encourage them to keep talking to the trusted adults in their lives.

SEA is independent. We are not affiliated with any political or religious organisations. We focus on providing scientifically-accurate and fact-based information. We recognise that many values and beliefs come from home, and we strive to create an inclusive and respectful environment where young people can get the information they need and feel comfortable asking questions.

We aren’t able to provide catch-up materials for missed sessions. Our programs are designed to be delivered live and interactively, and the experience of being in the room, hearing questions from classmates and taking part in discussions and activities, is an important part of the learning. Each session is designed to be valuable on its own. If a student attends a second or third session having missed an earlier one, they will still gain a great deal as key messages are revisited and built on across the program

Yes! We offer two online programs designed for parents and children to work through together at home.

Puberty Power Up is a foundational puberty course for children aged 10–12, covering physical, social and emotional changes, anatomy, hygiene, along with practical tips for managing puberty. It is video-based learning and includes quizzes, worksheets and downloadable resources, plus dedicated guidance for parents on how to support their child through this stage.

Puberty Plus is an add-on video series of 11 additional topics for parents whose children have already covered the basics (whether at school or in Puberty Power Up) and are ready to explore extended topics. Parents have full control over which topics their child accesses and can choose to introduce them gradually over time.

We can also schedule and run two additional sessions, details below:

Let’s Learn Together webinars have parents and children sitting together in the privacy of their own homes using our ‘turn and talk’ method, where our presenter guides families through the topics in a guided, age-appropriate and relaxed way. You and your child talk about the topics at whatever level feels right for your family, and, of course, these conversations can be continued after the webinar has concluded. Our presenter models best-practice language and approach, and all of our ‘Let’s Learn Together’ webinars are age-graded (i.e. only have children of a similar age in the session) as well as sensitive to individual family needs in terms of cultural and religious diversity.

Talk to Me First is a session for parents and caregivers only and covers school years 3-6. It offers practical tips on how to start and continue conversations about puberty, body safety, consent, respectful relationships and other topics relevant to the age of the child or young person. We share insights on what to say, when to say it, and how to navigate these conversations with confidence – including how to answer questions in an age-appropriate way and how to ensure the child or young person has access to accurate information from a trusted source.

Parents and caregivers are essential support for their children, and you can read more about our thoughts on that here.

The parent resource section of our website can be found here and we have some free downloadable fact sheets available here. Parents can also sign up for our newsletter, and the link to do that can be found at the bottom right pages of our website.

In addition, our blog posts are designed specifically to build parents confidence and give practical language to use at home.

We offer a Parent Information Evening to all schools using our programs, outlining what we cover and how we cover it. The online Parent Information Evening runs for an hour and helps support parents to be the ‘go to’ person for their child, because all children need a trusted adult at home to talk to.

Topics include:

1. what will and won’t be covered in our classroom programs (and the language our educators use to talk about certain topics)
2. how we are inclusive
3. why it’s important to talk to your child at home
4. tips on how to talk, what to say and when (and how much)
5. how to kick-start or continue conversations at home
6. how to answer difficult or uncomfortable questions
7. what to do when you get caught unprepared by a tricky question
8. where to go for further information and support

We follow up all Parent Information Evenings with resources sent to the school to be passed onto parents and caregivers.

Body safety teaches children that their body belongs to them and that they have the right to feel safe and respected. Students learn age-appropriate skills, such as using the correct names for private body parts (giving them the language to speak up if something negative or unwanted happens), understanding concepts of public and private, recognising safe and unsafe touch, and knowing that there should be no secrets about touching. Students identify trusted adults they can talk to and are encouraged to keep telling until they feel heard and safe. Students also learn that if someone breaks body safety rules, it is never the child’s fault. Click here for more information about body safety education.

Whenever we work with students in the classroom, we acknowledge the many different forms a family can take. Not all children are raised by a mum and a dad; families may include separated or divorced parents, blended families, step-parents, single parents, same-sex parents, grandparents, kinship carers, and foster carers.  To reflect this diversity, we use inclusive language such as ‘adults at home,’ ‘trusted adults,’ ‘grown-ups at home,’ ‘parents and caregivers,’ and ‘carers’ and ‘guardians.’

When discussing how babies and children join families, we include the concepts of adoption and foster care, tailored to the age of the students. In Years 5 and 6, when exploring how a sperm and egg come together, we cover sexual intercourse alongside IVF, assisted reproduction, surrogacy and donor sperm and eggs. For many students, this reflects their own family and the different ways babies can be conceived and families are formed.

Our primary programs focus on core topics from Foundation (Prep) to Year 6, and gender identity is not a stand-alone topic within our curriculum. We recognise that families approach conversations about gender identity in different ways and at different times, and we respect that these discussions are often most meaningful when they happen at home.

That said, if a student asks about gender identity, our educators will respond in a sensitive, age-appropriate way and encourage further conversation with a trusted adult at home.

Creating a safe and inclusive environment for every student is fundamental to how we work. Our educators use inclusive, non-judgemental language throughout all programs, whether discussing families, relationships, attraction or individual difference.

In primary sessions, we acknowledge that families take many forms and that people can be attracted to those of the same or different sex. In secondary sessions, we are explicit about sexual orientation and gender identity, emphasising respect for everyone regardless of how they identify or who they are attracted to.

We understand that some students may be navigating questions about their own identity and we want every young person to feel they belong. If a student raises a question or shares something personal, our educators respond with care and sensitivity and encourage them to speak with a trusted adult at home or at school.

Our Parent and Child Nights can be run as a webinar from home or face-to-face at school. During these sessions, parents and children sit together and use our ‘turn and talk’ method, where our educator guides families through topics in a structured, age-appropriate and relaxed way. Parents and caregivers talk with their child at a level that suits their family, and these conversations can be continued after the session. Our educator models best-practice language and approach, and sessions are age-graded so all children attending are at a similar stage.

Yes. Consent education is woven throughout all of our programs in the primary years, where children learn about personal boundaries, bodily autonomy, and asking for and giving permission in everyday situations.

In secondary school, we offer a dedicated session called ‘Consent: On the Same Page’, which addresses consent explicitly in the context of romantic and sexual relationships. This includes understanding affirmative consent, the principle that the person initiating sexual activity has a responsibility to actively seek consent rather than assume it, as well as recognising coercion and pressure, what the law says, and the rights and responsibilities that come with sexual relationships.

From 1 January 2023, all students in Australian government schools are required to receive consent education. Our programs meet this requirement and go beyond it, focusing not just on legal frameworks but on the values and communication skills that make relationships genuinely respectful.

Here’s a blog post that we’ve written to help with the consent conversation.

We see sexuality education as a partnership between home and school and know that parents are the most important and enduring influence in a young person’s life. Our programs involve parents and caregivers through ‘Parent Information Evenings’ and homework completed together with your child. The homework is designed not just to reinforce what your child has learned in class but to spark broader conversations at home about their learning. This means you have insight into what your child is learning and can continue those conversations confidently. We provide tips for talking in our parent sessions and in our blog posts on our website, helping you share your own values and beliefs in a way that builds on what’s covered in class.

Puberty is beginning earlier than previous generations, with some children starting as young as eight. It is important that children understand the body changes of puberty before they experience them so they feel prepared. We recommend starting a simple introductory conversation in Year 3 or 4.

Talking about puberty helps young people understand what will typically happen to their bodies as they grow up. Young people who understand puberty are more likely to respond with kindness and empathy toward their peers, recognising that everyone develops differently and that some children can feel self-conscious or isolated.

Here’s a blog post about how to get the puberty talk started, and here is an episode of our podcast entitled ‘Talking puberty with your child’.

There is no single right age. Children develop at different rates and curiosity about bodies, relationships and sex can emerge at any stage. Some children ask questions as early as five, others around eight or nine, and others still around ten to twelve.

What matters most is that children hear accurate, age-appropriate information from a trusted adult before they piece it together from friends, siblings, media or online sources. By the upper primary years, most children benefit from having a clear and honest understanding of how reproduction works, and schools and parents play an important role in making sure that happens.

The goal is not one big conversation but an ongoing dialogue that grows with your child. Starting early means they already know they can come to you with questions as they get older.

We have lists of books that parents might consider passing on to their children, or reading together. Please make sure you check any resources first to make sure they suit your family. You can check out a list of our suggested resources on our primary-aged and secondary-aged pages.

Yes we do. These sessions focus on building teacher confidence through practical examples using evidence-based, age-appropriate content regarding bodies, body safety, puberty, sexual health, sexuality, consent, and healthy relationships. We assist teachers to deliver classroom content that is relevant, inclusive and trauma informed to ensure all students feel safe and respected. Please get in touch with us at bookings@seaprograms.com.au.

If you’d like to work with us, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at info@sexeducationaustralia.com.au to register your interest.