Health and Physical Education

Watch now: To find out more about this curriculum area, watch ‘Understanding the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0, Health and Physical Education’ on the Resources page.

Rationale and Aims

Rationale

Health and Physical Education enables students to develop skills, knowledge, understanding, and a willingness to positively influence both their own health and wellbeing and that of their communities. In an increasingly complex world that is rapidly changing, it is critical that young people have the support and opportunities they need to flourish as healthy, safe, active and informed citizens.

Through the Health and Physical Education curriculum, students experience a curriculum that is contemporary, relevant, challenging and enjoyable, and that encourages movement. The Health and Physical Education curriculum is underpinned by interrelated propositions that require teachers to take a strengths-based approach with a focus on an educative purpose. Valuing movement and developing health literacy are integral to the learning area, while critical inquiry is recognised as an important teaching and learning approach that can build on important skills, knowledge and understandings.

Fundamental to physical education are the acquisition and application of movement skills, concepts and strategies across a range of contexts. Movement is a powerful medium for learning, through which students can acquire and practise physical, social, psychological and cognitive skills. When learning in movement contexts, students gain skills, understanding and dispositions that enable them to participate confidently and competently to support lifelong involvement in physical activity and enhanced movement performance. This includes learning in a range of contexts, including community, aquatic and outdoor environments, in order to promote a sense of wellbeing, enhance personal and social skills, and help students understand the concept of risk versus challenge.

Health education addresses contextual factors that influence the health, safety, relationships and wellbeing patterns of individuals, groups and communities. Students develop the critical understandings required to challenge discrimination, assumptions and stereotypes. They gain the skills needed to take positive action regarding diversity, inclusion, consent and respect in different social contexts. They learn about personal, social and emotional changes and transitions and develop a sense of their own and others’ identity and emotional responses. They also learn to access and evaluate health information in order to enhance their own and others’ health and wellbeing. Students develop personal and social skills through interacting with others in classrooms, outdoor learning environments and movement contexts.

Aims

The Health and Physical Education curriculum will support students to:

• access, evaluate and synthesise information so that they can make informed choices and act to enhance and advocate for their own and others’ health, wellbeing, safety, and participation in physical activity across their lifespan
• develop and use physical, social, psychological and cognitive skills and strategies to promote self-identity and wellbeing, and to build and manage respectful relationships
• acquire, apply and evaluate movement skills, concepts and strategies to respond confidently, competently and creatively in various physical activity settings
• engage in and enjoy regular movement-based learning experiences and understand and appreciate their significance to personal, social, cultural, environmental and health practices and outcomes
• engage in and create opportunities for regular physical activity, as individuals and for the communities to which they belong, which can enhance fitness, movement performance and wellbeing
• analyse how varied and changing personal and contextual factors shape both our health and physical activity.