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.
PDHPE faculty
Curriculum Initiatives in PDHPE
The new PDHPE syllabus has been introduced and implemented for Years 7 to 10. The Stage 6 syllabus (for years 11 and 12) will be implemented in 2025, with the course titled Health and Movement Science.
The new syllabus has been developed with respect to the NESA K-10 Curriculum Framework and Statement of Equity Principles and the Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians (December 2000).
The syllabus provides opportunities for students to develop, refine and apply PDHPE skills in three domains:
· Self-management skills
· Interpersonal skills
· Movement skills
Whilst key content will not change significantly, the new syllabus aims to provide the foundations for students to successfully progress to the next Stage of schooling or post-school opportunities.
The syllabus is shaped by five propositions, organised into the three content strands of:
Ø Health, Well-being and Relationships,
Ø Healthy, Safe and Active Lifestyles, and
Ø Movement Skill and Performance.
Alstonville High School delivers the mandatory core PD/H/PE for Years 7-10. It consists of one practical period and one theory period per week. As well as the core PD/H/PE in the junior school we also offer Physical Activity and Sports Studies (PASS) as an elective in years 9 and 10. In the senior school we have a 2 unit Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation class as well as a 2 unit PD/H/PE class.
Sport and physical activity
Sport at Alstonville High School continues to maintain a very high profile. The school has a traditional sports day which offers a wide variety of summer, winter and recreational sports. The school participates in a wide range of state knockout sports competitions and is highly regarded by other schools for its sporting achievements.
The school's annual swimming, cross country and athletics carnivals again boasted extremely high attendance and participation rates. The success of the carnivals seems to be a balance between the competitive events, the novelty events and the social interaction where all staff and students positively contribute to the carnivals.
Doug North - Head Teacher PD/H/PE
Year 7 – 10 school sport
Sport is held every Wednesday for two periods.
As per department guidelines, all students in Years 7 to 10 are required to participate in 2 hours of structured physical activity.