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 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
- Exploring Early Childhood
- Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
- Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Studies.
PD/H/PE Year 7/8
PD/H/PE Mandatory Course
The focus of this course is to assist students in valuing and practising responsible health behaviours. Students will develop skills to enable them to manage contemporary personal development, health and physical education issues by participating in planned activities involving: critical thinking group and individual tasks, and decision making.
Physical Education is concerned with the individual development of students through the medium of movement. It aims to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes to allow students to understand, accept and lead a healthier lifestyle. Physical Education provides opportunities for students to develop their skills in a number of movement areas.
Personal Development and Health concerns itself with students' attitudes to and knowledge of health. Each unit studied will be assessed by using: topic tests, assignments, presentations, group work, research tasks, physical performance and a level of participation and application.
Introductory Recreation Studies
This elective provides an introductory course involving aspects from the recreation elective. Students will participate in a variety of activities such as: golf, archery, rock climbing, bocce, croquet, lawn bowls, bike riding, table tennis and aquatic activities.
The elective will include theory components to complement and reinforce the practical activities. Students who have an interest in sport, recreation and leisure activities are encouraged to participate in this elective course.
Materials / Equipment required: PE/Sports uniform, 96 page book, pens and pencils. Students will be required to participate in and meet the needs of the costs of, some units of work which require excursions to some venues.
PD/H/PE Year 9/10
PD/H/PE Mandatory Course
The focus of this course is to allow students to develop their own personal wellbeing, enjoy an active lifestyle, maximise movement potential and advocate lifelong health and physical activity. The students are encouraged to adopt a healthy, active and fulfilling lifestyle by developing skills in communicating, decision making, interacting, moving, planning and problem solving.
Personal Development and Health is concerned with enhancing each student's sense of self, improving their ability to manage challenging circumstances and to develop caring and respectful relationships. It assists students to take action to protect, promote and restore individual and community health.
Physical Education allows for students to develop individual and teamwork abilities through the medium of movement. Students are offered opportunities to participate in a variety of physical experiences.
Assessment is conducted using a range of methods including: presentations, group work, written reports, topic tests, research projects, self-assessment, peer assessment and physical performances. Year 10 has a formal assessment schedule with common tasks across the year group.
Child Studies
Child Studies is an innovative course for both boys and girls to learn valuable skills for life. This course examines the growth and development of children from conception until school age. Many contemporary issues are explored in detail including birth technologies, childcare choices, gender differences, immunisation and teenage pregnancy. This course offers students many practical experiences- in Year 9 students conduct a playgroup for preschool children over a six week period and in Year 10 the students participate in the "Baby Think It Over" program caring for computerised babies for 48 hours. Students interested in careers in childcare, education, nursing, health, welfare and community services will benefit from this course.
Materials/Equipment: A4 book, pens and pencils.
Recreation Studies
Recreation Studies is a practical based course with a focus on outdoor education. This course is allows students to develop skills in many different outdoor activities which may include; abseiling, rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, survival training, cycling, aquatic skills and camping skills. Students will be required to participate in practical lessons, which will be complemented with relevant theory skills. The course is aimed at developing teamwork, leadership and individual work skills. Regular excursions take place to reinforce student learning of the knowledge, understanding and skills being taught in the course.
Students interested in careers in human movement, sport and recreation, outdoor adventure, PD/H/PE teaching, rescue, emergency services and forestry will benefit from this course.
Materials/Equipment: PE uniform, A4 book, pens and pencils. Students will be required to participate in and meet the costs, in some units of work, for the excursions to the various venues.
Cost: $10.00 for consumables and equipment maintenance. Additional costs will be imposed depending on the selected learning activities/excursions, the venues and locations. (Approximately $50.00 for the year for off-campus learning experiences but when specialist excursions are offered these may be more expensive.)
Physical Activity and Sports Studies
Physical Activity and Sports Studies offers excellent opportunities for students to explore the science of sport and different sports in more detail than in the core PD/H/PE course.
This course is essentially a theory based course allowing students to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in anatomy and physiology, factors effecting performance, training methods, the health and safety aspects of physical activity, sport in Australia and contemporary issues in sport. Students do not need to have a high level of physical skill as the course has been designed to cater for students of all abilities. This course caters for students who have a genuine interest in fitness and health and leads strongly into the HSC PD/H/PE course. Students interested in careers in human movement, PD/H/PE teaching, sport and recreation, nursing, physiotherapy, fitness training, sports coaching and health professionals will benefit from this course.
Materials: PE uniform, A4 book, pens and pencils. Students will be required to participate in and meet the costs, in some units of work, for the excursions to the various venues.
PD/H/PE Year 11/12
Community and Family Studies
This course is designed to develop in each student an understanding of the diverse nature of families and communities within Australian. It looks at our society which is characterised by social and technological change, cultural diversity, conflicting values and many social issues. This course offers a comprehensive approach to the study of relationships in society and investigates its interdependent nature. It allows students to explore all aspects of our communities in Australia and provides opportunities to apply their knowledge.
Preliminary Course learning opportunities focus on:
- the resource management process
- individuals and groups
- the family's contribution to the community.
HSC Course learning opportunities focus on:
- research methods
- parenting and caring
- specific groups in society
- with the option of "Individuals and Work"
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
This course examines a range of areas that underpin health and human movement in Australia. The health status of Australia is studied in detail along with the factors that affect physical performance in sport and physical activity. This is a highly demanding course with many theoretical concepts requiring depth of understanding.
Preliminary Course learning opportunities focus on:
- meanings of health and physical activity
- better health for individuals
- the body in motion
- two options are also covered and may include – first aid, composition and performance, fitness choices or outdoor recreation
HSC Course learning opportunities focus on:
- health priorities in Australia
- factors affecting performance
- two options are also covered and may include- sports medicine, improving performance, sport and physical activity in Australian society, the health of young people, equity and health
Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation
This course is designed for students to learn about the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle. Students are encouraged to establish a lifelong commitment to being physically activity and to achieving movement potential. The course provides the opportunities to specialise in various modules of expertise or interest such as: aquatics; athletics; first aid; fitness; specific sports; gymnastics; outdoor recreation; sports administration; coaching; social perspectives of sport; and healthy lifestyle.
Preliminary and HSC learning opportunities are mirrored, depending on the modules covered, the experiences focus on:
- knowledge and understanding of the factors that influence health and participation in physical activity
- knowledge and understanding of the principles that impact on quality performance
- an ability to analyse and implement strategies to promote health, activity and enhanced performance
- a capacity to influence the participation and performance of self and others