Our ethics lessons are an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful discussions of real-life issues. These discussions are not just academic – they’re about equipping young minds with skills in critical thinking, ethical reasoning and respectful discussion that will help them navigate the complexities of the world they’re growing up into. Practical ethics isn’t a static subject. Since our curriculum was first developed, we’ve seen some pretty significant changes in the sorts of technologies students engage with on a day-to-day basis. Technologies that bring with them a whole host of ne ..read more

Every Thursday in term time, three trained volunteers teach ethics at Kangaroo Valley Public School. In ethics classes, children from kindergarten onward are guided to develop their skills in critical thinking, ethical reasoning and respectful discussion. Ethics lessons explore everyday ethical issues such as truth and lying, getting even, being fair or unfair, cheating and friendship. Michael Cox is entering his seventh year as an ethics volunteer. He started out teaching his grandchildren but they’ve moved on. Michael stayed because he wanted to keep contributing within his community and fi ..read more

Our most isolated program – Lord Howe Island Central School (LHICS) – commenced its first ever ethics program in Term 4 2023. Lisa Ralph and Lucille Wilson, friends who are both school parents, trained as ethics teachers and kicked off the program. LHICS is a tiny school with just 41 students from Kindy to Year 6. In its first term, ethics enrolled a third of the student body! The island does not have mobile coverage, but it does now have an ethics program. Lisa moved to Lord Howe 12 years ago and with her husband runs the Dive Lord Howe shop. Lu came to the island in 2021. Lisa and Lu were v ..read more

Welcome to 2024 ethics – and a special welcome to those of you whose children start ethics this year. This @Home bulletin lets you know what your children will be discussing in their ethics lessons this term. We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them questions about it! These topics are relevant to us as adults too. We’d love to hear of any good discussions you have. Schools commence their ethics programs at different points of the term – some are quick to start, others take awhile to get organised and begin in late February or early March. If you haven’t yet heard, g ..read more

“Barb is a workhorse and superstar volunteer.”Barb La Ganza is the Kinghorn Volunteer of the Year 2023. Barb, who’s been an ethics volunteer for nine years, is currently an ethics teacher and coordinator at one Sydney northern beaches school, as well as teaching ethics at two others. At one of her schools she teaches three back-to-back classes every week. Barb was presented with her award at a lovely gathering in December 2023. Read excerpts from her acceptance speech below. Barb La Ganza with ethics supporter Jill Kinghorn and the inaugural 2022 winner, Swee Goh. Barb is always ready ..read more

Ethics teacher Alicia Potts discovered a good method for enhancing  her ethics lessons. Alicia writes: A while ago, I was listening to a business podcast when I heard voice coach Tracy Goodwin discussing how to use variety in your voice to tell a story and communicate your message. As I was listening, it struck me how useful this could be for me in the classroom as a volunteer ethics teacher. Alicia Potts Engaging students in meaningful discussions is essential to helping them develop strong values and ethical reasoning skills. However, it can sometimes be challenging to capture the ..read more

Our @Home bulletin lets you know what your children are discussing in ethics. These topics are certainly relevant to us as adults too. We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them about it! We’d love to hear of any good discussions you have. Subscribe here to our @Home email bulletin for parents The topics we show you below are based on classes which began at the beginning of the year. Please bear in mind that the further we advance into the year, the less likely these topics will be accurate for your child’s class. Classes started at ..read more

Jo Gardner began volunteering as an ethics teacher at local schools on the Central Coast six years ago. She was motivated by a sense of wanting to give back, having a connection with the young generation and providing an option for parents who don’t want their children to participate in religious education. Jo says she has found “joy, amusement and all the intangible benefits of volunteering” along the way. “Initially I saw an article about ethics classes in the local newspaper”, Jo said. “I’ve always had an interest in ethics and heard Simon Longstaff of the Ethics Centre speak on a num ..read more

Primary Ethics is delighted to announce the Kinghorn Volunteer Award 2023, which brings substantial prize money to go to the recipient’s chosen school, as well as public recognition and appreciation for the often-unsung efforts of our wonderful volunteers. This award will honour an ethics volunteer who has strongly contributed to the success of the ethics program at their school – or schools. We want to acknowledge someone who is a team player, good communicator, supportive of other volunteers, reliable and committed to our program of ethics education. The award is open to all ethic ..read more

Rose-Anne Manns on the joys of teaching ethics to high school students. ‘Should we always apologise for hurting someone accidentally?’ I ask my Year 7 students at Lindfield Learning Village. ‘Yes’, says one boy. ‘Saying sorry will make them feel better – it’s kind. It’s a good life skill.’ ‘Well, it depends’, says his classmate. ‘If it was just some random dude I hurt, then sure. But my mates and I never apologise to each other – we just laugh it off.’ ‘But some of your friends might hold a grudge if you never say sorry’, a girl responds. ‘What if everyone did that? We’d all end up killing eac ..read more