10 years of Primary Ethics: achievements and challenges

We’ve come a long way in our first

10 YEARS

Bringing lessons in ethical thinking to school children – equipping them to make reasoned choices in a world of tough decisions.

A DECADE OF GROWTH

2010

2021

2011 Primary Ethics pilot scheme commences in

10

Sydney schools with

2

office staff

1 year later:

150

10 years since Primary Ethics official launch

2020

schools

2700

students

200

trained teachers

COVID pivot: Online teacher training + Bites! online program begin

“When I have an idea and have to explain ‘why’ to the class, the idea becomes stronger in my head” Kindergarten student

500

schools with ethics now or in the pipeline

45,000

children in ethics classes every week

3000

active volunteer teachers every week

350

ethics coordinators around the state

10

FTE staff and

12

regular trainers

Pilot

high school program commences

Meeting the challenges as we head into our

next decade…

1

A significant opportunity for greater growth A targeted development approach will focus on meeting demand in areas with demonstrated interest + building the program in areas of unmet need with directed recruitment of volunteer and support systems.

SYDNEY ACTIVE the majority of schools have ethics classes INTERESTED a mix of schools with current, previous or potential ethics programs UNMET POTENTIAL no schools have had ethics classes DOES NOT MEET CRITERIA schools do not meet student enrolment criteria

2

Equity of access to teacher training Increasing the supply of online training is crucial to increasing volunteer intake beyond the city centres, ensuring ethics classes are available in every corner of the state.

$120

Online

$72

Face-to-face 0

50 100 150

Average training cost per person ($)

At first glance it’s counterintuitive, but online training is significantly more expensive than face-to-face training, due to capping Zoom sessions at a lower number of trainees to make participation viable.

3 Ethics for high school students We believe ethics classes are just as vital for older children. The growing high school program requires a new curriculum, specialised training and support systems.

School term 1 2021 School term 2 2021 Projected to end of 2022

1 2

20

“It really helps your personal confidence to know your opinion is valued in ethics class” Stage 3 student

In one decade, we’ve achieved more than we could have imagined – and we’re not stopping there.

As today’s young people grow up in a world wired to masses of competing information, we believe that providing a grounding in ethical thinking – learning to listen empathetically, using evidence to form their ideas and having respect for others even when we disagree – will equip them to deal better with the world’s challenges and support them in becoming the best versions of themselves.

primaryethics.com.au