Personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE) is mandatory from Kindergarten to Year 10.
According to the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), students are expected to participate in PDHPE for between 1.5 and 2.5 hours per week in Kindergarten to Year 6 and for 300 hours per year in Years 7 to 10.
PDHPE provides students with opportunities to explore issues that are likely to impact on the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others – now and in the future. Students also participate in challenging and enjoyable physical activity, improving their capacity to move with skill and confidence.
In Year 11 and 12, courses available include:
- Community and Family Studies
- Community and Family Studies Life Skills
- Exploring Early Childhood
- Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
- Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Life Skills
- Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Studies.
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) is a mandatory course that is a requirement for completion of Stage 5.
PDHPE develops students' capacity to enhance personal health and well-being. It promotes their enjoyment of and commitment to an active lifestyle and to achieve confidence and competence in a wide range of activities as they maximise movement potential.
Through PDHPE students develop knowledge understandings, skills, values and attitudes that enable them to advocate lifelong health and physical activity.
What will students learn about?
All students study the following four modules:
Self and Relationships– Students learn about sense of self, adolescence and change, sources of personal support and the nature of positive, caring relationships
Movement Skill and Performance– Students explore the elements of composition as they develop and refine movement skills in a variety of contexts
Individual and Community Health– Students learn about the specific health issues of mental health, healthy food habits, sexual health, drug use and road safety. They examine risk, personal safety and how to access health information, products and services.
Lifelong Physical Activity– Students consider lifestyle balance and the importance of physical activity and its physical benefits. Students learn to participate successfully in a wide range of activities and to adopt roles that promote a more active community.
What will students learn to do?
Throughout the course students will learn to apply some key skills that allow them to take action for health and physical activity. This includes an emphasis on communicating, interaction, problem-solving, decision-making, planning and moving.
Early Stage One
By the end of Early Stage 1, students identify personal characteristics and strengths, recognise how they are growing and changing and identify different parts of the body. They describe the different emotions people experience. Students practise interpersonal skills to interact positively with others. They identify people who can assist and recognise actions that help them to be resilient, healthy, safe and active. Students explore contextual factors that influence an individual’s health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity. They identify skills and strategies to stay safe and be supported. With developing self-control, students explore emotional responses and cooperate positively with others in a variety of play and group situations.
Stage One
By the end of Stage 1, students describe changes that occur as they grow older, and recognise characteristics of personal identity and how these are influenced by strengths and achievements. They recognise and demonstrate positive ways to interact with others and identify how emotional responses have an impact on others’ feelings. Students explore different types of relationships and describe the qualities needed to develop and maintain respectful relationships. They understand contextual factors that influence health decisions and describe how to keep themselves and others healthy, safe and active. Students recognise environments which promote health, safety and physical activity and practise a range of protective strategies for responding to various situations. They follow instructions to keep themselves safe and are able to ask for help with tasks or problems.
Stage Two
By the end of Stage 2, students recognise physical and social changes and personal management strategies. They recognise individual strengths and apply these to a wide range of contexts. Students investigate the skills and qualities that build caring and respectful relationships and ways to improve their health, safety and wellbeing. They identify the rights and feelings of others and devise strategies to support themselves and others. Students explore health messages and describe the influences on healthy and safe choices. They recognise their responsibility to contribute to a healthy, safe and physically active environment. Students perform physical activities designed to enhance fitness and discuss the relationships between physical activity, health and fitness. They propose strategies that increase opportunities to develop and maintain healthy, safe and active lifestyles.
Stage Three
By the end of Stage 3, students investigate developmental changes and transitions. They examine the influence of people and places on identity and practise skills to establish and manage relationships. Students identify controllable and uncontrollable factors and recognise the influence of contextual factors on health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity. They plan and practise responses, skills and strategies that protect and promote healthy, safe and active lives. Students examine the connections they have to their community and implement actions to increase physical activity levels. They access and interpret health information and apply skills to seek help to enhance their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing.