Respect matters: Health and Physical Education

Health and Physical Education

Through the Health and Physical Education curriculum, students develop the ability to access, evaluate and synthesise information and take positive action to protect, enhance and advocate for their own and others’ health, wellbeing, and safety. They develop and use personal, behavioural, social and cognitive skills and strategies to promote a sense of personal identity and wellbeing. This supports students to build and manage respectful relationships. The HPE curriculum supports critical inquiry where students analyse the factors that influence decision-making, behaviours and actions and explore inclusiveness, power inequalities, assumptions and social justice. The strength-based approach to learning also recognises that all students and their communities have varying levels of access to personal and community resources depending on a variety of contextual factors that can influence their relationship decisions and behaviours.

There is scope to link learning about respect and relationships to the HPE focus areas including mental health and wellbeing (resilience, coping skills, help-seeking strategies), relationships and sexuality (bullying, harassment, power, discrimination, violence and assertiveness - offline and online) and safety (risk assessment, safe decision making, personal safety at home, school, parties, in relationships and in the community).

A healthy and supportive school environment is enriched through health promoting school policies and processes including partnerships with parents, community organisations and specialised services.