Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) develops the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes important for students to take positive action to protect and enhance their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing in varied and changing contexts. Physical education is fundamental to the acquisition of movement skills and concepts to enable students to participate in a range of physical activities — confidently, competently and creatively.
The study of PDHPE provides students with the opportunity to enhance and develop resilience and connectedness and learn to interact respectfully with others. Through PDHPE students develop the skills to research, apply, appraise and critically analyse health and movement concepts in order to maintain and improve their health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity. Students are provided with opportunities to learn to critique and challenge assumptions, attitudes, behaviours and stereotypes and evaluate a range of health-related sources, services and organisations. They develop a commitment to the qualities and characteristics that promote and develop empathy, resilience, respectful relationships, inclusivity and social justice. Students practise, develop and refine the physical, cognitive, social and emotional skills that are important for engaging in movement and leading a healthy, safe and physically active life.
Learning in PDHPE reflects the dynamic nature of health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity in the context of a diverse and rapidly changing society. It addresses health and physical activity concepts of importance to students and highlights the influences that contextual factors have on personal values, attitudes and behaviours. PDHPE provides students with an experiential curriculum that is contemporary, relevant, challenging and physically active. The syllabus is designed to give all schools flexibility to treat sensitive issues in a manner reflective of their own context and ethos.
Through PDHPE, students develop self-management, interpersonal and movement skills to help them become empowered, self-confident and socially responsible citizens. Students learn in movement, about movement and through movement and are given opportunities to apply and adapt their skills across multiple contexts. The learning experiences in PDHPE provide students with a foundation to actively contribute to, and advocate for, the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others in the community and beyond school.
The study of PDHPE in K–10 aims to enable students to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes required to lead and promote healthy, safe and active lives.
Knowledge and understanding
- demonstrate an understanding of strategies that promote a sense of personal identity and build resilience and respectful relationships
- demonstrate an understanding of movement skills, concepts and strategies to respond confidently, competently and creatively in a variety of physical activity contexts
- understand the significance of contextual factors that influence health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity
- enact and strengthen health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity.
- develop and use self-management skills that enable them to take personal responsibility for their actions and emotions and take positive action to protect and enhance the health, safety and wellbeing of others
- develop interpersonal skills that enable them to interact effectively and respectfully with others, build and maintain respectful relationships and advocate for their own and others’ health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity
- move with confidence, competence and creativity within and across various physical activity contexts.
Values and attitudes
- value and appreciate influences on personal health practices and demonstrate a commitment to lead and promote healthy, safe and active lives for themselves, others and communities.