Respectful Relationships Education practice in schools
Guidance for school and curriculum leaders implementing Respectful Relationships Education (RRE), activities, reflective questions and resources.
Phases of implementation
School-based practice should reflect a whole-school approach to RRE.
All schools can access support and resources for RRE to move through the phases of implementation. These phases provide a framework for schools to effectively implement RRE as a whole-school approach and continuously improve their educational practices.
The time frames for each phase will vary for each school, based on their context. Community context, staff readiness and levels of student engagement all influence the pace of progress, and schools should expect some areas (especially those involving deep cultural change) to take longer or encounter more resistance.
For example, a school may be in the Implement phase for one focus area, whilst also planning for another focus area. The implementation phase for each driver of gender-based violence may vary based on student engagement, staff beliefs and attitudes, levels of confidence, and skill to create change while facing community resistance or backlash.
This phased model ensures a flexible, cyclical approach that supports continuous improvement and genuine culture change towards more respectful, safe and equitable school environments. Sample implementation and progress monitoring (IPM) plans are available to support schools in developing their School Excellence Plans (SEP).
School-based practice should reflect a whole-school approach to RRE, reflective of the six components. Observable RRE practice indicators can be accessed to help schools to:
- recognise strengths in the components of the current whole-school approach
- identify the school’s starting point and progress
- guide evidence and measures of success for a school implementation or action plan
- promote continuous improvement in RRE implementation.
The practice indicators are designed for 3 key audiences – leaders, school and students. Practice indicators can supplement the exemplar and examples provided in the RRE Strengths Assessment Tool.
School leader implementation roadmap
The roadmap provides guidance for school leaders implementing RRE, outlining suggested activities, reflective questions and useful resources for each phase of RRE implementation.
Plan (6 months)
The Plan phase focuses school leaders on:
- Building leadership and team commitment – secure support from school leadership, form an RRE implementation team/committee with clear roles, and identify staff strengths and dispositions to drive a whole‑school approach.
- Developing understanding and capacity – engage in RRE professional learning, use tools (Strengths Assessment, Contributing Factors) to audit current practices, and plan familiarisation for all staff.
- Planning for action – identify priority focus areas, collect and analyse culture survey data, and create a school‑wide RRE action plan with timelines, implementation steps and professional learning.
- What are the timelines?
- How do I determine the right staff for the RRE implementation team?
- How can our RRE implementation team drive action using the strengths and capabilities of staff?
- How will my implementation team and I access the time we need for RRE familiarisation?
- What are we already doing under the umbrella of RRE?
- To what extent do staff understand RRE and the evidence underpinning RRE?
- How effectively are we doing these RRE initiatives?
- What information, data and evidence do I have?
- How do I create an implementation plan?
- How do we leverage off what we are already doing well?
- How will I know if what we do is working?
- How are we going to monitor implementation of RRE?
- What resources are required to commence implementation?
- What support will be available?
- How will we access the support?
- What are other schools in the network doing which we can learn from?
- What networking opportunities can we create and access?
Leadership, management and policies
- Secure strong commitment from school leadership for a whole-school approach to RRE.
- Clarify who will lead and be part of the RRE implementation familiarisation and preparation process.
- Determine if familiarisation with RRE is an individual process or collaborative process for leaders.
- Access introductory RRE professional learning to develop your own understanding of RRE and components of RRE in schools.
- Share professional learning and understandings with leadership to build collective capability, including
- Identify the strengths and capabilities of staff members and how they can be applied to form a diverse RRE implementation team (Team composition tool).
- Establish the RRE implementation team/committee's purpose, meeting cadence, individual roles and reporting process.
- Develop the implementation team’s understanding of RRE and components of a whole-school approach to RRE in schools.
- As an implementation team, use the Strengths Assessment Tool to determine your strengths and areas for improvement across the RRE components.
- Complete the Contributing Factors Tool to audit existing RRE initiatives and practices in the school. Rate their effectiveness and determine whether they will continue, need adapting or should cease.
- Identify 2 RRE focus areas from the 6 components of a whole-school approach to RRE for the year of implementation.
- Integrate RRE priorities into the SEP.
- Establish leadership structures to drive RRE implementation.
School culture, environment and practices
- Allocate time and resources to support the RRE work and to build capability of staff and students.
- Develop a professional learning plan to build staff capability in evidence-informed RRE.
- Meet as an RRE team/committee according to purpose, meeting cadence, individual roles and reporting processes.
- Communicate the school’s vision and expectations for RRE with staff, students, parents, carers and community partners.
- Establish inclusive processes for incorporating staff, student and parent/carer voice into planning and decision-making.
- Analyse wellbeing or NSW Public Schools Student Survey data to identify priority areas for culture building.
- Design and implement culture surveys with staff and students to collect baseline data on areas of strength and growth.
- Analyse survey results to determine actions to address areas of growth within RRE focus areas.
- Develop implementation and progress monitoring (IPM) plan as part of the school’s strategic excellence plan.
Implement (12–18 months)
The Implement phase focuses school leaders on:
- Strengthening staff capability and leadership – allocate time for RRE professional learning, lead staff through practice changes, and embed respectful and inclusive behaviours across school life.
- Integrating RRE into systems and culture – review and align policies, embed RRE principles in planning and school behaviour frameworks, and communicate actions and curriculum links with the wider community.
- Empowering student voice and evaluating impact – establish a student advisory committee, engage students in peer-led initiatives, and collect evidence and feedback to monitor and refine RRE implementation.
- How will I provide staff with access to the time needed for reviewing, planning and programming?
- How do we allocate time in the implementation plan for reflection and evaluation?
- What professional learning do I need?
- What additional resources do we need?
- What support is available?
- How effective are the processes and structures in place to evaluate the implementation of RRE?
- What are the immediate student learning, behaviour and wellbeing outcomes of RRE implementation?
- What are the immediate staff behaviour and wellbeing outcomes of RRE implementation?
- Is implementation of RRE resulting in changes in teaching practice?
- What whole-school processes and structures are in place to support staff to collaboratively plan and teach RRE?
- How can we expand good practice across our school?
- How can we effectively engage students to lead RRE?
- How can we co-design initiatives and practices with students for student?
Plan and build capability
- Develop a timeline for whole-staff and whole-school familiarisation with RRE in collaboration with your implementation team.
- Allocate time and establish processes for staff to access professional learning and review practices.
- Communicate why a focus on RRE and involvement in the program is important to the school community.
- Access professional learning, resources and support through the RRE program.
- Attend RRE professional learning to increase your understanding, skills and confidence to lead cultural change and embed RRE in the school’s programs and practices.
- Organise and facilitate high-quality professional learning for all staff, including foundational information on respectful relationships, gender equality, trauma-informed practice and responding to disclosures.
- Develop the whole-school community’s understanding of RRE and components of RRE in schools, including
- Contextualise strategies and actions from professional learning to the school, building into planning and practice
- Seek feedback from staff members to evaluate where they are at and what they need.
Review data and practice
- Further analyse wellbeing or NSW Public Schools Student Survey data to identify priority areas for culture building.
- Identify and implement data collection and evidence gathering opportunities to evaluate effectiveness of RRE actions.
- Establish or review existing wellbeing processes and support structures, duty of care procedures and referral pathways to ensure clear, trauma-informed responses are in place for students and staff. These should include referral and reporting processes for issues of disrespect, sexual harassment or disclosures.
- Identify existing network opportunities – inside and outside the school.
- Align expectations to whole-school rituals, assemblies and classroom practice.
- Review school policies (for example anti-bullying, code of conduct) to ensure they explicitly reflect principles of respect and equity.
Communicate and integrate into practice
- Communicate clearly with parents and carers through newsletters and the RRE website about RRE in the curriculum and whole-school actions.
- Actively role model and promote gender equality, inclusivity and respect in everything you do.
- Embed respectful relationships and gender equality messages throughout everyday life – for example assemblies, signage, communications, events.
- Embed RRE actions in the School behaviour support and management plan (SBSMP).
- Foster and celebrate staff modelling and reinforcement of respectful and inclusive behaviours in all interactions.
Engage students
- Establish a process for student voice and leadership in RRE, such as a student RRE advisory committee.
- Build mechanisms to actively engage students in the development of communications and key messages.
- Promote student engagement through leadership opportunities, peer programs and meaningful participation.
- Work with your student RRE advisory committee to identify peer-led actions and evidence collection to create change.
Embed (6 months to 2 years)
The Embed phase focuses school leaders on:
- Embedding RRE in continuous improvement – integrate RRE into school planning, review cycles and program design to ensure sustained focus and accountability.
- Evaluating impact using evidence – collect and analyse data on staff practice, student learning and feedback to monitor progress and refine implementation based on outcomes.
- Collaborating and sharing learning – engage in professional networks and collaborative opportunities to exchange effective RRE strategies and strengthen whole-school practice.
- What has been the impact of curriculum change on student learning?
- In what ways are staff engaging in reflective practices to continually build their capability?
- How are staff engaging with other staff members?
- How are staff engaging with students?
- How are staff engaging with parents and carers?
- What are the enablers and barriers to future RRE implementation?
- Embed RRE as an ongoing, integral part of school improvement and planning cycles.
- Review and make changes to programs and assessments based on feedback and evidence of learning.
- Collect samples and evidence of practice and progress to evaluate impact including
- staff understanding
- observation of practice
- collaborative planning and feedback
- student voice and feedback.
- Establish and use evaluation and monitoring to adjust implementation.
- Seek feedback from staff members to evaluate where they are at and what they need.
- Refine evidence-based practices and systems.
- Assess and monitor student progress.
- Access networking opportunities to engage in sharing and collaboration to explore how other teachers and schools are implementing RRE, and learn from their experiences.
Curriculum leader implementation roadmap
The roadmap provides guidance for curriculum leaders and teachers to implement RRE, outlining suggested activities, reflective questions and useful resources for each phase of RRE implementation.
Plan (6 months)
The Plan phase focuses curriculum leaders and teachers on:
- Building team understanding and planning collaboratively – access RRE professional learning and resources to develop personal and team knowledge of principles, curriculum and effective practices and create a collaborative familiarisation plan with timelines, responsibilities and leader support.
- Evaluating and adapting teaching practices – review existing programs, assessments and student feedback or work samples, and identify student needs and map key skills into units and lead trials incorporating critical inquiry to enhance capabilities.
- Leveraging networks and ongoing support – identify internal and external opportunities, and access RRE program resources, professional learning and networks for sustained implementation and evaluation.
- What are the timelines?
- How will my team or faculty and I access the time we need for RRE familiarisation?
- What support will be available? How will we access it?
- What do I or my staff need to know and do to be ready for delivery of RRE through the syllabus content?
- What support will be available?
- How will we access the support?
- What are we already doing that supports RRE?
- How effectively are we delivering RRE?
- What parts of our current practice can stay? How do we determine that?
- What information, data and evidence do I have to evaluate our existing programs and learning experiences?
- What are the implications for practice?
- How have we engaged with students to determine effectiveness of delivery?
- How can we capitalise on what we are already doing well?
- How will we know if what we do is working?
- How are we going to monitor effectiveness of RRE curriculum delivery?
- How do I lead change to increase skill focus and application in our lessons and assessments?
- What are other schools in the network doing which we can learn from?
- What networking opportunities can we create and access?
Leadership, management and policies
- Determine if RRE familiarisation is an individual process or collaborative process.
- Clarify who in the team, stage or faculty will be part of the RRE familiarisation and preparation process.
- Identify the strengths of each team, stage or faculty member and how they can be applied.
- Create a plan for RRE familiarisation in collaboration with your team or faculty.
- Request time or discuss how time will be accessed for familiarisation with your school leader.
- Access introductory RRE professional learning to develop your own understanding of RRE and components of RRE in schools.
- Share RRE teaching and learning understandings with the team, stage or faculty to build collective capability.
School culture, environment and practices
Access professional learning, resources and support through the RRE program and website.
- Explore NESA syllabus content in your KLA to identify RRE concepts and any specific teaching advice.
- Identify RRE content across K–12 and the implications for teaching, assessment and learning.
- Explore the Teaching Respectful Relationships Education curriculum resources to become familiar with the features, content, structure and expectations. Determine
- programming implications
- how and why the resources have been developed in the way they have
- how they address new content
- their suitability for your context
- how they can be modified or adapted to suit your context and students.
- Access RRE professional learning to develop understanding of effective practice in RRE.
Monitoring and evaluation
- As a team, stage or faculty, undertake an RRE program analysis and review assessment. Identify what opportunities or changes to practice may arise.
- Assess the needs of the team, stage or faculty and plan for further professional learning.
- Collect, access and analyse information from students about the value of RRE curriculum in their school and classroom.
- Collect feedback and work samples from students to evaluate existing teaching, learning and assessment practice and the quality of the learning experiences.
- Identify the needs of students and map 1–2 self-management or interpersonal skills into units and/or assessment tasks across years or stages.
- Lead the trial and evaluation of programs and assessments that incorporate critical inquiry and application of knowledge and skills to increase student capabilities.
- Embed a process of self-assessment and lesson observation into your programs.
- Identify existing network opportunities – inside and outside the school.
Implement (12–18 months)
The Implement phase focuses curriculum leaders and teachers on:
- Allocating time for individual and collaborative RRE syllabus familiarisation – explore RRE content, K–12 RRE concepts, skills and teaching advice, and access implementation resources and professional learning.
- Analysing and aligning – map existing programs (Positive Behaviour for Learning, social-emotional learning, peer support, wellbeing, KLAs) against RRE syllabus outcomes, identify opportunities to embed and sequence RRE skills, and determine programming implications and how RRE resources can be adapted for your school context.
- Planning, teaching and refining – use the teaching and learning cycle and formative assessment to plan and deliver RRE-aligned units, include RRE resources in programs, monitor student learning and teaching practice (self or peer review) and iteratively adjust programs based on feedback and evidence.
- How will I access the time needed for reviewing, planning and programming?
- What professional learning do I need?
- What do I need to be familiar with?
- What additional resources do we need?
- What support is available?
- How will I access the time I need for collaborating, evaluating and amending the learning experiences?
- What are the immediate student learning outcomes of effective RRE delivery?
- What are the immediate staff outcomes of RRE professional learning and effective RRE delivery?
- Is implementation of RRE resulting in changes in teaching practice?
- How are staff and students engaging with each other?
- Is the classroom environment promoting discussion, safety and effective learning?
- How can we expand good practice across our school?
- How are other teachers and schools implementing the RRE curriculum content? How can I find this out and learn from others?
Plan and build capability
- Allocate time for RRE syllabus content and resource implementation.
- Determine if implementation is an individual process or a collaborative process.
- Clarify who in the team, stage or faculty will be part of the implementation and evaluation process.
- Request time or discuss how time will be accessed for implementation with your school leader.
- Identify the strengths of each team, stage or faculty member and how they can be applied in the implementation phase.
- Create a plan for implementation in collaboration with your team, stage or faculty.
Review, implement and evaluate curriculum and programs
- Find and access RRE curriculum implementation resources and support.
- Access RRE curriculum professional learning to develop your own understanding of RRE pedagogy and principles of practice.
- Analyse the skill outcomes for each stage and opportunities for embedding and aligning to RRE content or concepts.
- Map existing programs (PBL, SEL, peer support, wellbeing, KLAs) against the RRE syllabus content for each stage.
- Align the learning within each stage to ensure each program or learning experience complements each other.
- Communicate with parents and carers on RRE curriculum and program timing, content and resources, allowing for concerns to be raised and addressed.
- Share RRE teaching and learning understandings with the team, stage or faculty to build collective capability.
- Access support through the RRE program and website.
- Use the teaching and learning cycle to plan, implement and evaluate RRE units and lessons.
- Include Teaching Respectful Relationships Education curriculum resources in your teaching and learning programs.
- Embed a strengths-based, critical inquiry-focused pedagogy in all RRE lessons.
- Embed formative assessment opportunities to collect evidence of skill application and refinement in RRE contexts.
- Ensure diverse representation of all identities and experiences within curriculum content and teaching materials, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people with disability.
- Deliver lessons reflective of the RRE principles and use RRE curriculum resources.
Review data and practice
- Use a self-assessment tool or peer observation to collect evidence of RRE teaching practice as part of a cycle of improvement.
- Participate in collaborative planning, feedback cycles and curriculum review to ensure evidence-informed continuous improvement.
- Adapt RRE curriculum and teaching for individual learning needs, backgrounds and experiences, using trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches.
- Monitor learning by collecting feedback and work samples from students to evaluate the new curriculum experiences and the quality of the learning.
- Review and make changes to programs based on feedback and evidence of learning.
Embed (6 months to 2 years)
The Embed phase focuses curriculum leaders and teachers on:
- Implementing and delivering – teach, assess and report using new RRE programs and curriculum resources, embedding evidence-based practices and pedagogy into daily instruction.
- Monitoring progress – assess and track student learning through feedback, work samples and cyclical evaluation to gauge impact and quality of experiences.
- Reviewing and refining – analyse evidence from teaching and student outcomes to iteratively adjust programs, assessments and methods for continuous improvement.
- How will I access the time I need for collaborating, evaluating and amending the learning experiences?
- How can I measure the impact of my teaching with the new resources? What measures are valid and reliable?
- How will we know that students are making ongoing progress across the stages of learning?
- What networking opportunities can/will assist me? How can I access them?
- What are the enablers and barriers to future RRE implementation?
- Embed a process of collaboration with your team, stage or faculty to design, deliver, review and evaluate all lessons, assessments and pedagogy.
- Teach, assess and report using the new RRE programs and curriculum resources.
- Review and make changes to programs and assessments based on cyclical feedback and evidence of learning.
- Refine RRE lesson delivery, routines and shared expectations to ensure consistent practice across classrooms and year groups.
- Embed a self-assessment tool or peer observation processes to collect evidence of RRE teaching practice as part of a cycle of improvement.
- Monitor learning by regularly collecting feedback and work samples from students to evaluate the quality of curriculum experiences and learning.
- Refine evidence-based practices and pedagogy.
- Monitor sustained implementation using evidence of student learning, teacher reflection and wellbeing trends.
- Use evidence of student progress to make targeted adjustments that strengthen skill development and engagement.
- Participate in cluster collaboration, moderation and shared professional learning to refine approaches through peer feedback.
- Engage in professional dialogue to strengthen collective reflection and collaboration across schools.