Parents - Primary Ethics

The secret weapon against polarisation – Osher Günsberg

Osher Günsberg, radio and television presenter and now popular podcaster, has joined the ranks of ethics volunteers at his son’s school. Osher says: “When I open my phone, it explodes in a cascade of fear, fury and furphies… leaving me spinning in a tizz of desperation and powerlessness. … I think I have found something that makes that feeling less intense and instead gives me the feeling that I am actually doing something that will make a difference.” Thanks Osher for this lovely reflection, we wish you the best in your year of ethics volunteering ahead.

Find your way to make a difference by volunteering with us

The thriving ethics community of Bondi Beach

Evelyn Levisohn is an ethics volunteer at Bondi Beach – a teacher and team coordinator. She writes here about their thriving ethics community, who help children look beneath the surface and have come together in firm solidarity after the recent tragedy on their doorstep.

Beyond the surface: Surfers, sunshine, run clubs and speedos: these might be the first things you think of when you think of Bondi Beach. It’s a place often associated with the ‘surface’: the tans, the activewear, the perfectly poured Instagrammable matcha latte. [Though tragically, it is also now known for the terrible shootings that took place in December 2025. More on that later.]

Look a little further, past the tourists on the promenade, and you’ll find there is a community engaged in something much deeper. At Bondi Beach Public School, just across the road from the beach, we have a thriving ethics program that is teaching the next generation how to look beneath the surface and question the status quo.

I’ve been part of this organisation for six years now, teaching two classes a week and serving as the ethics coordinator. We currently run 11 classes every week, from Kindergarten to Year 6, powered by a dedicated team of nine volunteers.

PHOTO-2023-09-21-12-06-28 — The Bondi Beach team at the beach, Evelyn on left.

Journey into the ethics classroom: My journey into the classroom actually started at my day job. I’m a Marketing Manager for Studiosity, a purpose-driven edtech company that believes in the power of education to change the world. Because they value social impact, my work is flexible enough to allow me to teach and coordinate each year. In fact, I first heard about Primary Ethics because my boss was a volunteer. Every Wednesday, she would come into the office and regale us with stories about how funny the kids were, how fascinating the topics were and how rewarding and challenging the role was.

It sounded incredible and I signed up to teach at Bondi Beach the year before my eldest son even started there. I still remember the nerves of that first day teaching Kindergarten. They were so sweet and charming, offering unselfconscious answers with brash honesty. But the moment that truly hooked me, the moment I felt that click of satisfaction, was when a child made a logical argument about a story that even I hadn’t considered. Watching a child learn to reason, think and find their own voice is incredibly gratifying.

Becoming a coordinator: Eventually, my passion for the program outweighed my fear of stepping into the team coordinator role. When our previous coordinator moved away, I realised I was too invested to let anyone else take the reins. I cared deeply about the program’s success, especially as we navigated the long road back from the COVID shutdowns. Our school was actually the last in the state to bring scripture and ethics back onsite, only resuming in 2023. During that break, I kept my skills sharp by doing relief teaching at other local schools. When we finally came back onsite, my mission was clear: I wanted to build back a sense of belonging and camaraderie within the team. I started ensuring we had termly coffee catch-ups and end-of-year dinners.

PHOTO-2024-12-20-09-56-39 — The team out for dinner, Evelyn second from left.

Depth and compassion: Today, we have a thriving team from all walks of life, parents and community members alike. Our catch-ups are no longer just an admin checkbox; they are filled with deep personal reflections and philosophical musings. We support each other, as does the whole Bondi Beach community who came together with steadfast compassion when the school had to close for a few days following the shootings, ensuring nobody was feeling alone and the kids had a sense of togetherness and normalcy.

In the darkest of times, our community shone in its solidarity.

Evelyn

The world beyond the beach: Despite recent events, Bondi will always have its sunshine and its tourists, but what happens inside our classrooms is what prepares these kids for the world beyond the beach. Considering what our community has been through, and in an era of AI and global upheaval, these lessons in critical thinking and logical reasoning are what will truly help our children navigate the changing world. We aren’t teaching them to follow a specific set of beliefs; we’re teaching them to think for themselves. And there is nothing more important than that.

Join Evelyn as a volunteer - as a teacher or coordinator >>

PHOTO-2024-06-08-08-57-22 — Celebrating team achievements. Evelyn is centre.

Danya: Building strong foundations

Danya Webb, with an extensive background in marketing and sales, is the training operations manager for Primary Ethics. Her team delivers all the new teacher training sessions. They also create all the e-learning modules for new teacher/coordinator training, as well as the many short courses and handouts available to volunteers. And they run monthly information webinars and collaborate with Classroom Support colleagues on professional development workshops.

My own journey with Primary Ethics began as a volunteer ethics teacher in 2018 when my younger daughter started kindergarten (her older sister had already been in ethics for a few years). My involvement grew when I took on the additional role of volunteer ethics coordinator at my children’s new school in 2021 to launch their ethics program. We now have a team of 12 ethics teachers at this K-12 school, covering almost all the demand for ethics from K-8. My younger daughter is now in Year 7 and I still teach her Stage 4 ethics class!

The power of the program is personal to me. I’ve seen both my children’s critical thinking and empathetic reasoning skills develop over the years thanks to their involvement in ethics education.

Danya

As training manager, I work with a dedicated team to ensure our volunteer ethics teachers and coordinators are well-prepared for their roles. Our commitment to continuous improvement and a supportive learning environment is at the heart of everything we do.

Our team of 14 trainers deliver regular interactive new teacher training workshops face-to-face in Sydney and Wollongong and online via Zoom. The online option makes our training more accessible to regional volunteers, as well as those who prefer the convenience of training from home or in the evenings.

We train all sorts of people – barristers and psychologists, cleaners and librarians. Regardless of background, everyone is trained in the same way, equipping all with the skills to become capable ethics teachers or coordinators.

We also develop and manage digital learning resources, including:

E-learning modules for new teacher and new coordinator training.
Many short courses and handouts available in our Document Library.
Collaborative professional development.

Learning doesn’t stop after the initial training. We strongly believe that every ethics lesson offers a chance to hone technique. We collaborate closely with the Classroom Support team to offer ongoing professional development, including:

Engage-Reflect-Connect workshops for ethics teachers
Coordinator Essentials workshops for ethics coordinators
Information webinars about ethics for parents and the community.
Commitment to continuous improvement.

To ensure our program remains current and impactful, we also run an annual program review. This evaluation is vital, helping us modify our approach to address any gaps and drive quality improvement.

Our training methodology has evolved significantly over the years — we are now on Version 11 of our new teacher training manual! This is a testament to our focus on integrating feedback, keeping up with best practice in adult learning methodology and adapting to the needs of our volunteers and students.

Check out what we offer in training

@Home bulletin Term 4 2025

Welcome to @Home bulletin for Term 4 2025, where we let families know what your children, from kindergarten into secondary school, are exploring in their ethics lessons this term.

Subscribe here to receive our @Home email bulletin once a term.

The topics we show below are based on classes which begin at the beginning of the year. If your child tells you they are discussing a topic you don’t see in this bulletin, you can also look at the Curriculum section of our website.

We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them questions about it!

Term 4 curriculum selections

Kindergarten: Does telling the truth matter? Children often face tricky moments where honesty and kindness pull in different directions. This term, they’ll hear stories about friends who tell small untruths to spare feelings or avoid trouble and discuss whether it’s ever okay to make something up. They’ll explore why truth-telling matters, how lies can affect friendships and trust and whether it’s possible to be both kind and truthful at the same time.

Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Being kind Our Stage 1 students will explore what it really means to be kind. Through stories about Oli and her missing pet bird Tiwi – and other children trying to help in different ways – they’ll reflect on why people act kindly, what it means to understand how others feel and whether helping still counts as kindness if it’s done for the wrong reasons or only because someone told you to.

Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Cheating Fair play and honesty take centre stage this term. Students will unpack what it means to cheat – and whether it’s ever acceptable – across settings like backyard games, card matches and online competitions. They’ll consider why people bend the rules, when cheating seems less wrong and whether it’s possible to cheat yourself in a solo game.

Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: Why should we trust science? Stage 3 students will explore how we decide what to believe and why science deserves our trust. They’ll learn about scientific ideas that changed the way people saw the world – like Galileo’s discovery that the Earth moves around the Sun – and discuss what makes a good scientific explanation. Along the way, they’ll consider how our beliefs about the world can shape our choices and actions.

Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: The cost of a human life Our high schools will tackle one of the most challenging ethical questions of all – how to weigh the value of a human life when making decisions. They’ll explore why governments sometimes assign a dollar value to life, how those figures influence policies and what happened when these ideas were debated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will discuss fairness, dignity and whether every life should be valued equally, while considering whether it’s ever right to reduce human life to numbers.

Each term brings new ideas and questions, we hope these topics spark interesting conversations at home as well!

Find out more about ethics classes

Global Ethics Day 2025 – Spotlight on volunteer Alokita

During this week surrounding Global Ethics Day 2025 (Wednesday 15 October), we are turning the spotlight onto our volunteers to hear about the impact of ethics education in their own lives.

This global celebration highlights ethics as a process for finding solutions in the collaborative and respectful manner often missing in today’s world. It’s about how we learn to live together, respect our differences and together face our major global challenges.

Alokita Shankhar, ethics volunteer northern Sydney for seven years

I started teaching ethics when my daughter began Kindergarten at our local public school at Hornsby. At the time there weren’t enough volunteers, so I decided to train as an ethics teacher and taught my first Year 1 class. Since then, I’ve had the joy of teaching Kindergarten, Year 1, and Year 2 and yes, even the special experience of teaching both my children along the way.

Teaching ethics opens up a window into how children think about the world which is both humbling and enlightening. Hearing their perspectives reminds me to stay curious, patient and open-minded. It has given me so much. In addition to being a weekly circuit breaker to my job, it has helped me grow as a parent and member of the community, reinforcing the importance of listening to understand, not just to respond. And I can also say, there have been many funny and heart-warming moments with the children along the way too, which I also cherish!

Some people say Kindergarten is too early to start ethics, but I have seen firsthand that it’s never too early to nurture curiosity and respectful discussion. At our school, teachers can choose to move up with their cohort and I’ve done that for three years; from Kindergarten through to Year 2. Watching the children develop not only in confidence but also in their ability to listen, question,and consider others’ viewpoints is a benefit of the program.

Ethical decision-making is more important now than ever. The world is changing rapidly and that includes socially, environmentally and technologically, with developments like AI reshaping how we live and work. As technology moves faster than we can sometimes process, helping children develop curiosity, empathy and critical-thinking skills becomes essential. Through ethics, they learn that there is no right answer but that they can get to a good answer by asking thoughtful questions and weighing consequences and then make decisions that consider different perspectives.

Discover the three ethics volunteering options

A letter from 1965 about ‘religious instruction’

Gordon Stenning recently sent us a copy of a very interesting old letter from 1965. The letter was sent to Gordon’s father and concerns his wish for his children not to receive ‘religious instruction’ at school. It was another 45 years until Primary Ethics came into being to provide an alternative to religious instruction in NSW public schools. Prior to that, some schools made Religion mandatory for all children or the children whose families did not opt for Religion were placed in ‘non-religion’, which could consist of doing nothing or colouring in, etc.

Gordon writes: I received your annual report recently and was pleased to see that Vaucluse Public School [in Sydney’s east] has a Primary Ethics program. I have attached a letter written to my father, who was interested in alternatives to religious indoctrination when I was at primary school. He would be delighted to have been aware of your success. Please feel free to pass this on to your volunteers to emphasise the timeless relevance of their invaluable volunteer work. My thanks and congratulations to you and your colleagues for the advancement of public education in Australia.

Gordon continues: By way of background, my father had a lifelong interest in secular education and ethics and was a member of a group I recall to be the Secular Educational Society, as well as the Australian Council for the Defence of Government Schools. He was a lifelong member of the NSW Humanist Society and at one time President of the Australian Humanist Society.

He was opposed to the idea of publicly supported religious indoctrination of primary school children and wanted my brother and I to be excused from scripture classes on that basis. I recall that he was successful in that endeavour and we were allowed to sit in a classroom with other children for the duration of the religious classes.

I have attached a photo of our year 1 class provided by one of my school friends, Stephen Gonski, who went on to become a primary school teacher.

Year 1 Picture Vaucluse Public — Vaucluse Public School 1965 - Gordon is possibly the boy on far right front row.

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Northmead – volunteer team of the year

Northmead Public School ethics team were co-winners of the 2024 Kinghorn Volunteers of the Year award – in their school’s centenary year. At a recent school assembly they were presented with their $1000 winning cheque to go to their school library, as well as a hardback copy of Unstoppable Us by Yuval Noah Harari.

Evan Mallika Ramaswamy Veronica Roelink librarian — Evan Hannah, Primary Ethics, Mallika Ramaswamy, Veronica Roelink and the school librarian.

Northmead is a large, diverse school in western Sydney. The team have worked really hard at building a very strong, steady and committed presence to ensure that ethics is now offered across all years, having started with only two classes a decade ago. The reputation and popularity of the program has grown significantly and now almost one third of the school population is engaged in ethics lessons. The program is seen as an important part of school life and the team is well known and respected. With a diverse, committed and community-minded team, they’re not only teaching ethics — they’re building a lasting legacy.

Our volunteers love the conversations and lessons we get to share with the kids and we especially love catching up each term to chat all things ethics and learning from each other's experiences. We all feel that we get as much from the experience of teaching ethics as we give to our students each week.

Former ethics coordinator Tania

Northmead 1 (1) — The 2024 Northmead ethics team, from left: Veronica, Christina, Mallika, Susannah, Myat, coordinator Tania, Elaine. Missing: Abha.

Volunteer Elaine

One of the team, Elaine Lee, told her story:

I have always wanted to volunteer in a program that has an impact for others. Taking a career break, I saw this opportunity  advertised at our school and jumped at the offer after reading up on the Primary Ethics program. My background is in Learning & Development and the program aligned with my values of instilling morale and critical reasoning, even more cause to volunteer with Primary Ethics.

What makes it great is that you don’t have to have facilitator experience! The training program is very well constructed, mine was led by Kelby Mason.

 Knowing that I can make an impact for my child and the children of tomorrow makes it very rewarding and fulfilling. The curriculum is current with today’s scenarios and it’s such a pleasure to work with a cohort of like-minded volunteers who want to make a difference.

I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to participate in this program. I hope this becomes the norm as part of a child's learning in primary and high school. Thank you, Primary Ethics!

Elaine Lee. volunteer at Northmead Public School

More about volunteering with us

@Home bulletin for parents Term 3 2025

Welcome to @Home bulletin for Term 3 2025, where we let families know what your children, from kindergarten into secondary school, could be exploring in their ethics lessons this term.

Subscribe here to receive our @Home email bulletin once a term.

The topics we show below are based on classes which begin at the beginning of the year. Schools start at different times of the year, some lessons go faster or slower than others, some schools skip ethics for the first and last weeks of the term while others teach every single week – and so on.

We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them questions about it!

If your child tells you they are discussing a topic you don’t see in this bulletin, you can also look at the Curriculum section of our website.

Kindergarten: Changing your mind
Sometimes we change our minds – and sometimes we don’t want to. This term, young students will explore what it means to change our mind and why we sometimes hold onto ideas even when new reasons are offered. Is changing your mind a sign of weakness or strength? They’ll practise recognising when it’s time to rethink and when it’s okay to stand firm – and why good reasons for having an opinion matter.

Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Stereotyping
This term, Stage 1 students will explore the idea of stereotypes. They’ll start with playful examples – like assuming all wombats are grumpy – before turning to more serious ones, such as assumptions about people based on how they look. They’ll consider whether it’s fair to judge someone before getting to know them and discuss why generalisations can be both helpful and harmful.

Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Intentions
When someone causes harm but didn’t mean to – is it still wrong? And what if someone tries to do something wrong but ends up helping? Stage 2 students will explore how much our intentions matter and whether we should judge actions based on what people meant to do or what actually happened. They’ll reflect on praise, blame and the difference between accidents and choices.

Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: Stealing
Most kids know that stealing is wrong – but what counts as stealing and why is it wrong? Is it stealing to use someone else’s Netflix account? What about watching a fireworks display you didn’t pay for? Stage 3 students will examine different types of stealing and think about whether something can be morally wrong even if it’s not illegal – and whether stealing is always wrong in every situation.

Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: Does it matter if everyone disagrees with you?
Teenagers are often encouraged to ‘think for yourself’ – but what happens when everyone else disagrees? Does that mean you’re wrong? This term, students will explore disagreement and confidence in our own views. They’ll discuss examples from food, art and ethics and consider whether some opinions are just a matter of taste – or whether it’s possible to be mistaken, even about your own point of view.

Each term brings new ideas and questions and we hope these topics spark interesting conversations at home as well!

Find out more about being a volunteer ethics teacher

Ethics teaching – a family affair

This year a third member of the Scott family has become an ethics volunteer. Peter Scott describes their journey to being an ethics family.

As ethics teachers, we often reflect on the benefits the Primary Ethics program has for our students. I have been an ethics teacher at Glenmore Rd Public Sschool in Paddington for 13 years now. Not only have I seen it benefit my many students over that time, but ethics volunteering has given my family a sense of common purpose and brought us closer together as we grow older.

In my second year I taught our younger son Lachlan, who was in Year 6. He was a little embarrassed to have his dad in front of his mates, although he got used to it as I brought my soccer coaching skills to bear. Our older son Alasdair had already left for high school when I started ethics teaching and felt a little left out of the conversations we were having at the family table.

Eight years later their mother Sarah became an ethics teacher too, partly to better inform her architectural work designing early childhood education facilities. She could see how much value I was getting from teaching the curriculum. Now she is part of our group of eight teachers at the school and absolutely loves it.

Find out more about volunteering with us

Sarah tells this story about witnessing the impact of ethics thinking skills in her class:

``One of my favourite ethics moments occurred with the lesson about the intent and structure of an ethics class. I followed the script, starting the class with random questions about unrelated topics which they could not possibly have answers for. They were all initially very puzzled and confused, but then one girl had a lightbulb moment and put her hand up with much animation. 'I know what this is!' she exclaimed excitedly, then in a conspiratorial voice she added, 'It’s an ethics class about ethics classes!' They all went 'Ahhhh'.``

Sarah Scott

After all these years the wheel has now turned full circle. Alasdair, who just missed out on being a student in the primary school ethics program, finally had some time to contribute after completing six years of university. We did the teacher training together in January 2025 – it was my second time and after 13 years it was completely different. Not only had the curriculum evolved, so had the teaching techniques.

So now Alasdair too has become part of our group of teachers and also loves it.

So we are an ethics teaching family! We sit down at the dinner table, speak one at a time, there are no putdowns and we build upon each other’s ideas … Okay, no, that doesn’t quite happen – we are a normal family and all talk at once. However, we all recognise that the ethics program offers a really positive way of engaging with younger generations and listening to each other in order to build a future together.