Respect and consent are not new concepts in education, yet their meaning and practical application are often unevenly understood across school contexts. As educators navigate increasing reports of gendered disrespect, sexualised behaviour and the influence of digital misogyny on young people, many are seeking clearer guidance on how to respond through curriculum and pedagogy.
Teachers are noticing shifts in student language and behaviour shaped by online cultures that normalise sexism, rigid gender hierarchies and hostility toward gender equity. At the same time, staff frequently report uncertainty about how to address these behaviours in developmentally appropriate ways that align with syllabus requirements and whole-school expectations. Without coherent, research-informed approaches to consent education and gender equity, schools risk responding reactively rather than building sustained, preventative cultures of respect.
This course responds to growing demand for professional learning that strengthens teachers’ capacity to embed consent, gender equity and respectful relationships within everyday teaching practice. By developing a shared understanding of gender, power and digital influence, participants will be supported to build safer, more inclusive school communities through intentional curriculum and classroom strategies.
This course is designed for K–12 teachers who are interested in strengthening their curriculum and pedagogical approaches to consent, gender equity and fostering respectful and inclusive school cultures. Participants will examine how gender, power and digital influences shape behaviour in contemporary school contexts and consider how understandings of consent have evolved within education. Teachers will expand their strategies and skills in embedding consent education, addressing misogynistic and sexualised behaviours, and fostering respectful relationships across a range of classroom settings to support safer learning environments.
9am-3pm on Monday 24 August at NSW Teachers Federation, Surry Hills
$220
Please note payment is taken after the course.
Katie Cherrington has more than 15 years’ experience in NSW public education as a primary school teacher and currently works as a non-school-based teacher in the NSW Department of Education’s Multicultural Education unit, supporting schools across the state. She is an elected member of the NSW Teachers Federation LGBTIQA+ Restricted Committee and has a longstanding interest in social justice and creating safe, inclusive learning environments. Her professional interests include consent education, gender equity, and supporting teachers to foster respectful school cultures through curriculum, pedagogy and whole-school approaches.
Natalie Hudson is a high school Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) teacher based at Hunter School of Performing Arts in Newcastle, teaching there since 2013. Natalie began her career at Dubbo College as a casual teacher in 2006 and has taught in Dubbo, Albury and Newcastle. In 2020-22 she worked as a non-school based teacher in the Quality Teaching Rounds project. Natalie is currently co-leading the implementation of Respectful Relationships Education at her school. Natalie is an elected councillor representing the Newcastle Teachers Association and has previously been a member of the Women’s Committee and State Executive. Her advocacy is focused on the role public education plays in creating a safe and inclusive society.
Catharine Lumby is a Professor of Media at the University of Sydney where she was founding Chair of the Media and Communications Department. She was also the founding Director of the Journalism and Media Research Centre at UNSW. Prior to entering academia, she worked for two decades as a print and TV journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald the ABC and The Bulletin magazine. She has written and co-authored nine books and numerous book chapters and journal articles. Her most recent book is Frank Moorhouse: A Life which was shortlisted for the National Biography Award. She has worked in a series of senior leadership roles in the tertiary sector.
Victoria Rawlings is an Associate Professor in the University of Sydney’s School of Education and Social Work whose work focuses on gender, sexuality, and schooling. Her research aims to make schools safer, more inclusive, and receptive to gender and sexuality diversity, including through the prevention and disruption of gendered violence within and around schools. Using co-researcher methodologies, Victoria works in partnership with teachers, students, and school leaders to drive meaningful change in their institutional cultures. She also creates curriculum-based strategies that aim to build critical thinking, care, and connection in school communities.
Dr Stephanie Wescott is a lecturer and researcher in the Faculty of Education at Monash University where her work focuses on gender, schooling and the manosphere. Her research examines the influence of misogynistic and manosphere ideologies in education settings, school-based gendered violence, and the institutional conditions that shape how gendered harms are recognised, responded to and prevented in schools. Stephanie’s work sits at the intersection of education, sociology and gender studies, with a particular focus on schools as critical sites for both the reproduction and prevention of gender-based violence.