The 3rd Australian Survey of Teachers of Relationships and Sexuality Education 2026: understanding training and support needs

EXEC SUMMARY
This report presents findings from the 3rd Australian Survey of Teachers of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE), the most recent iteration of a national study first conducted in 2010 and repeated in 2018. The study examined the training and support needs of pre-service (student) teachers and in-service teachers in Australia delivering RSE, which we defined as including respectful relationships education (RRE), consent education and other topics related to sexual development, sexuality, sexual and romantic relationships, and sexual and reproductive health (e.g. contraception and prevention of sexually transmissible infections). Through both an online survey and interviews, the study aimed to:
• identify the training and support needs of teachers delivering RSE in Australia
• examine the extent to which pre-service and inservice teachers feel prepared and equipped to deliver RSE in contemporary social and political contexts
• explore teachers’ concerns and perceived risks associated with delivering RSE
• assess teachers’ confidence to support students during and following RSE delivery, particularly in relation to disclosures and sensitive discussions
• identify what supports greater confidence and comfort in RSE delivery

NATIONAL SURVEY
Method and participants A national online survey was conducted between April 2025 and April 2026 with pre-service and in-service Australian primary and secondary school teachers. A total of 482 eligible responses were received, comprising 343 RSE teachers, 107 non-RSE teachers and 32 pre-service teachers. Participants were drawn from all Australian states and territories except for the Northern Territory, across government, Catholic, independent and other school sectors. The sample was predominantly female and represented a wide range of teaching experience, school types and geographic settings.

FINDINGS

RSE DELIVERY CONTEXT Teachers reported that RSE was delivered primarily in formal classroom settings by school-based teachers rather than external providers. More than half of RSE teachers (56.6%) reported delivering RSE formally in a classroom setting, and most preferred a school-led delivery model with external provider support rather than a model that relied solely on external providers. Teachers were most commonly assigned to deliver RSE due to subject alignment (20.1%) or timetabling considerations (18.3%), rather than because they had specialist expertise or personal interest in RSE.
TRAINING TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF RSE CONTENT
There was near universal agreement among both in-service and pre-service teachers that core RSE topics, including sexual development, human reproduction, sexual health and STIs, and consent, are important for schools to teach. Comfort with delivery varied considerably, however. Teachers were most comfortable delivering content on consent, human reproduction and sexual development, and least comfortable with the topics of sexual pleasure, pornography and abortion. These topics were also the most commonly reported as explicitly not taught in schools.

CONSENT EDUCATION
Despite the federal government’s 2022 mandate for consent education across foundation to year 10, many RSE teachers had not been advised by their school of these policy changes (42.9%), nor received any training or support to implement them (52.4%).

WHOLE-OF-SCHOOL SUPPORT
Most teachers perceived RSE to be valued by school leadership and staff, with 35.2% reporting senior leadership viewed RSE as moderately important and 31.2% as highly important. Most reported that their school administration supports RSE (71.9%), that students are comfortable with RSE (65.1%), and that parents are supportive (60.1%). However, fewer than half reported adequate access to training in RSE (48.2%) or sufficient time for lesson planning (39.4%). Access to training, lesson planning time and administrative support were all associated with increased teacher comfort and self reported content knowledge in RSE delivery. Teachers reported very limited exposure to pre-service training in RSE. The majority of RSE teachers reported no preservice training in RSE (68.1%), RRE (67.2%), or consent education (66.4%), and most reported that their pre-service training left them feeling not at all or not very equipped to deliver RSE. In-service training coverage was inconsistent, and 43.1% of RSE teachers indicated they still required additional training. More than half (50.2%) reported that their school did not allocate adequate time or funding for RSE professional development. Where teachers did receive in-service training, it substantially improved preparedness to deliver RSE, with teachers who received dedicated in-service training significantly more likely to report feeling comfortable with delivering RSE (93.4%) and having the required content knowledge (90.8%), compared to those with little or no training (approximately 64% to 66%).

TEACHER WORRY
RSE teachers reported worrying about negative reactions from parents (60.4%), responding to student disclosures of sexual violence (60%), or saying the wrong thing in an RSE lesson (59.5%). Lack of administrative support was associated with increased worry about saying the wrong thing, negative reactions from parents, student disclosures of sexual violence, and RSE content clashing with personal values. 87.5% of teachers who did not feel administratively supported reported concern about saying the wrong thing, compared to 53.3% of those who did. Male teachers were significantly more concerned than female teachers about risks to their professional reputation related to RSE teaching. Teachers who had more years of teaching experience were more likely than less experienced teachers to report concerns about value conflict or professional reputation.

QUALITATIVE STUDY
Methods and participants In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with 50 participants across Australia, including classroom teachers, health and physical education teachers, school leaders, wellbeing and welfare staff, school-based adolescent health nurses, external RSE educators and RSE coordinators. Participants were drawn from primary, secondary and combined school settings across metropolitan, regional and rural areas, and from government, Catholic, independent and specialist school sectors.

FINDINGS
Qualitative findings reinforced and extended the survey data across three broad themes.

BUILDING TEACHER CONFIDENCE AND CAPABILITY
Teachers across all roles and experience levels emphasised the importance of structured, practical RSE training, both pre-service and in-service. Most described receiving minimal formal preparation and relying on selfdirected learning to fill the gap. Dedicated in-service programs were highly valued, as were opportunities for team teaching, peer observation and collaborative debriefing. These collaborative models were identified as particularly effective in building confidence, reducing teacher isolation and improving delivery quality. Knowing how to respond to student disclosures of sexual violence, including mandatory reporting obligations and referral pathways, was identified as a critical but frequently unaddressed training need.

THE WHOLE-OF-SCHOOL ECOSYSTEM
Effective and sustainable RSE was consistently described as requiring a coordinated whole-of-school approach, embedded in school culture and supported by leadership, rather than concentrated in individual champion teachers. Strong leadership support was associated with greater teacher confidence to deliver RSE, clearer curriculum expectations and more proactive engagement with parents and communities. In contrast, weak or passive leadership, including the common ‘do what you want’ approach, left teachers feeling isolated and uncertain, contributing to self-censorship and avoidance of sensitive topics. Participants reported that RSE was frequently deprioritised relative to other curriculum areas, with lessons regularly displaced by other activities.

SYSTEMIC CONDITIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Substantial variability in RSE resourcing, support and delivery was identified by participants across states, school sectors and school types. Participants who worked in, or with, government schools most commonly reported limited resources and reliance on individual champions within the school to ensure RSE was delivered consistently. Participants reported that independent schools generally had greater access to external expertise and established wellbeing structures compared with government schools. Rural and regional schools faced particular challenges, including limited access to external educators and greater vulnerability to staff turnover, which could result in the loss of a ‘champion’ for RSE. Partnerships with external educators and adolescent health nurses were widely valued, particularly for teaching sensitive or complex topics. Partnerships with, or engagement of, external educators were considered to be most effective when embedded within a planned, sustained approach to RSE across the school, rather than deployed reactively, such as when a problem or issue arose among students.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The findings from this report informed a series of 13 recommendations to guide action for federal and state/territory governments, teachers and education providers, school systems and sectors, individual schools and school leadership teams.

For federal and state/territory governments
1. Mandate minimum RSE requirements in all initial teacher education programs Require all education providers to include compulsory, assessed RSE within all accredited teacher programs and ensure all graduating teachers have a foundational understanding of RSE content.
2. Establish, fund and evaluate a national RSE workforce development strategy Provide all teachers with equitable access to practical, evidence-based professional learning that strengthens confidence, capability and consistency in RSE delivery throughout their careers.
3. Develop a coherent national outcomes framework for RSE that moves beyond siloed priorities Replace fragmented policy and curriculum approaches with a nationally consistent, developmentally sequenced framework that integrates all core components of comprehensive RSE.
4. Establish accountability mechanisms for RSE delivery in schools Ensure RSE is consistently prioritised, implemented and monitored with the same level of accountability as other curriculum areas.
5. Map, consolidate and build on existing investment in consent education implementation Maximise the impact of existing investment by identifying gaps, reducing duplication and directing future funding towards evidence-based implementation strategies that strengthen teacher capability and whole-school practice.

For teachers and education providers
6. Deliver high-quality RSE preparation within initial teacher education Equip all pre-service teachers with the knowledge, confidence and practical experience needed to support high-quality RSE across diverse educational settings. Build teachers’ confidence and capability to facilitate sensitive discussions, respond appropriately to student disclosures of sexual violence, and fulfil their professional responsibilities.
7. Prepare pre-service teachers to respond to disclosures and sensitive discussions

For school systems and sectors
8. Establish whole-of-school RSE policies and implementation frameworks Clarify expectations for schools through whole school policies and implementation frameworks that support consistent and sustainable RSE delivery.
9. Resource schools to implement RSE effectively Ensure schools have the time, funding, evidence-based resources, and access to specialist expertise needed to deliver high-quality RSE.
10. Support school leaders to champion RSE Strengthen school leaders’ capacity to actively support teachers, manage community expectations and foster a culture in which RSE is valued and prioritised.

For individual schools and school leadership teams
11. Build and sustain a whole-of-school culture that supports RSE Embed RSE within the culture, policies and everyday practices of schools so responsibility is shared across the whole school community rather than resting with individual teachers.
12. Create clear policies and procedures for managing parental concerns and student disclosures
13. Invest in collaborative delivery models