Sample letter to parents/caregivers Secondary schools Dear Parent/Carer Health education is an important curriculum area and topics such

h as safety, physical activity, nutrition, mental and emotional health, resilience and drug education and healthy relationships are covered from Kindergarten to Year 10. t is important that children and young people are given accurate, relia!le and appropriate health information and s"ills in a supportive environment, and the home is one of the !est places for this education to occur. Ho#ever, support from the school environment is also important. $eachers at this school are ta"ing positive measures to help students understand all aspects of their health including their relationships and se%uality and ho# this relates to their lives no# and in the future. &hile the school setting and teachers are !est placed to provide se%uality education, #e ac"no#ledge that relationships and se%uality education is a shared responsi!ility !et#een schools, parents/carers and the community. t is important that school programs support young people in ma"ing informed choices a!out their se%ual health. $here is much evidence supporting the importance and effectiveness of se%uality education in schools that complements the #or" of parents/caregivers. 'vidence sho#s that( healthy relationships programs increase adolescents) confidence and a!ility to ma"e informed decisions, delay the onset of se%ual activity, decrease the fre*uency of se%ual intercourse and promote safer se% practices there is a need to address the incidence of teenage pregnancy and increasing rates of se%ually transmissi!le infections among young people. +elationships and se%uality education should not suddenly !egin in secondary school. +ather it needs to !uild on #hat has !een addressed in primary school. Content o!viously differs from primary and secondary classrooms !ut the principles and s"ill development needed to assist young people to ma"e health,enhancing decisions a!out their se%uality remain constant. $opics such as !ody parts, safe and unsafe situations, relationships and appropriate !ehaviours #ith family and friends, pu!erty, !lood,!orne viruses and pregnancy are covered in primary school. -t the secondary level se%uality education topics addressed include gender and po#er, reproduction, pregnancy, contraception, se%ual health, consent, rights and responsi!ilities in relationships, finding relia!le sources of information, managing ris"s and "eeping safe. $he Health Promoting .chools /rame#or" states that all health education is a shared concern of schools #hich is demonstrated in their curriculum and policies, parents and the #ider community. $his is an opportunity for us all to #or" together to promote positive attitudes and !ehaviours to#ard se%uality related issues. .tudents #ill !e encouraged to discuss issues #ith parents via home activities. $he &- Department of Health has recently developed an e%cellent resource Talk Soon. Talk Often. A guide for parents talking to their kids about sex. You can order your free copy from http(//###.pu!lic.health.#a.gov.au/0/1012/0/parentcaregiver.pm Please contact me if you #ould li"e to discuss any aspect of the health education program.