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The issue: Relationships and sexuality education (RSE) play s a vital role in supporting the personal and social development of children and young people. While the benefits of RSE are well established, its deliver varies considerably depending on state and school sector. Faith-based schools face additional and unique challenges in implementing RSE effectively. These include: religious teachings that may conflict with key messages and topics covered in a comprehensive RSE curriculum; teachers' lack of confidence and knowledge in delivering RSE to students from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds; and pushback from parents and the broader school community. Compounding these challenges, Independent and Catholic schools often have greater autonomy to design their own approaches to RSE, resulting in variability in how these topics are addressed and in what detail. Despite these complexities, the intersection between faith and RSE, and how religious and cultural values are incorporated into school-based RSE remains an under researched area.

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Project summary: This doctoral research project aims address gaps in the current RSE literature base, to understand the intersection between religion and RSE within the context of Australian faith-based schools. The study will explore how whole-school RSE is addressed and implemented within primary and secondary faith-based schools’ contexts, and co-design tools and strategies to facilitate a whole-school approach to RSE in these schools.

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Project team:

• Associate Professor Jacqui Hendriks (Project Lead)

• Professor Sharyn Burns (Co-Supervisor)

• Roisin Glasgow-Collins (PhD Candidate)

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Study objectives:

• Review the current discourse around RSE and faith-based schools in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries to determine barriers and enablers to delivery and current understandings. 

• Identify attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives of primary and secondary faith-based school staff in Australia towards RSE.

• Explore how whole-school RSE is implemented within faith-based primary and secondary schools in Australia.

• Develop and disseminate best practice/evidence-based recommendations and strategies to assist faith-based schools in planning and implementing whole-school RSE.  

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Project activities 

• ​Phase 1 (CURRENTLY UNDERWAY): A scoping review is currently underway. In this review, the current discourse around RSE in faith-based schools in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries is being explored. 

• Phase 2: In this phase, a survey will be open for completion for any staff working in faith-based schools across Australia. This survey will ask attitudinal statements to gauge support for and beliefs surrounding RSE, as well as what is currently being implemented in their school.

• Phase 3: This phase of the doctoral project will involve multiple embedded case studies with a sample of faith-based schools, where the practice of RSE will be explored. 

• Phase 4: The final phase will involve the co-design of recommendations with a group of representatives from faith-based schools and organisations across Australia. 

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Project funding: No funding has been received for this PhD Project. 

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Project outputs

• Glasgow-Collins, R., Burns, S., & Hendriks, J. (7 July, 2026). The implementation of relationships and sexuality education (RSE) in faith-based schools: A scoping review. ECU Digital and sexual citizenship in an age of social media bans: Interrogating the rights of children and young people conference, Oaks Perth Hotel. 

• Glasgow-Collins, R., Burns, S., & Hendriks, J. Beyond the secular assumption: Scoping the evidence base for Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) delivery in faith-based schools. Western Australian Institute of Education Research Forum 2026, Murdoch University (abstract accepted). ​

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Ethics approval: An ethics application is currently underway for this project.