St Joseph's School
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To make our school a physically and emotionally safe place for all students and staff, we have a policy to manage student sexual behaviour in the day-to-day school environment (Education and Training Act 2020, s.127).
Appropriate management depends on whether the behaviour is normal for the age and developmental stage of the student and/or if it is harmful to them or others. We are guided in our understanding of normal, concerning, and harmful sexual behaviour for each age group by current, reliable health information (see Resources below).
The school guides staff in how to manage student sexual behaviour as part of their regular child protection training. Staff are advised to share any concerns early to prevent harm and to ensure that they do not make decisions in isolation.
Normal sexual behaviour
Normal sexual behaviour may be inappropriate in the school environment. This can be managed by teaching about sexual, emotional, and physical development, body and relationship boundaries, and consent. We do this through:
Our school uses the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme.
This proactive approach helps to protect students and reduces the risk of concerning and harmful sexual behaviour, and sexual harassment and violence.
Concerning or harmful sexual behaviour
Concerning or harmful sexual behaviour puts the student who shows such behaviour and other students and staff members at risk of physical and emotional harm. Such behaviour may indicate that the student is being exposed to inappropriate, unsafe, or abusive content or behaviour outside of school. Concerning and harmful sexual behaviours need intervention and may require escalation to external agencies.
Sexual harassment and violence
Sexual behaviour in students may include acts of 
sexual harassment and/or sexual violence against other students or staff. This may occur at school or outside of school, and sexual harassment may also occur online. We take all reports of sexual harassment and violence seriously and aim to respond with care and sensitivity.
For how we respond to student sexual behaviour concerns and incidents, see Responding to Sexual Behaviour Concerns and Incidents.
Release history: Term 4 2025, Term 4 2022, Term 3 2021, Term 4 2019
