Health and Physical Education

Year 7
Year 7 Health and Physical Education aims to provide opportunities for students to develop specialised movement skills and understand the benefits of life-long health and physical activity. Integral to the subject is the development of physical literacy by learning to transfer movement skills and concepts through participation in a range of physical activities. They reflect on and refine skills to consider how movement, sport and physical activities can shape positive health and fitness outcomes. Students examine how their relationships and other factors can influence their beliefs and values; as well as, the impact online behaviour can have on their own and others' health, safety and wellbeing.

• Theoretical units include: Who Am I? (Uniqueness and Identity), Social Media & Decision Making, and, Health and Fitness.
• Practical units include: Gaelic Football, Cricket, Netball, and, Aquathon.

Year 8
Through participation in lessons, students practise a range of personal, social and cognitive skills and learn to appreciate the significance of physical activity in Australian society. By exploring theoretical concepts, students draw on their knowledge of how healthy lifestyle choices can influence the beliefs and attitudes of others. Students reflect on natural and built environments; and, take positive action to evaluate health and physical activity services to enhance community health and wellbeing.

• Theoretical units include: Nutrition, Natural and Built Environments, and, Drugs and Alcohol.
• Practical units include: Touch Football, Gymnastics, Speedminton and Pool Lifesaving Sport.

Year 9
Year 9 Health and Physical Education aims to provide opportunities for students to refine and apply specialised movement skills and evaluate strategies through participation in a range of physical activities. Physical literacy is developed with leadership, teamwork and collaboration as focuses throughout the year. Students will analyse and apply information to devise and implement plans for maintaining safe, healthy and active habits. By exploring theoretical concepts, students recognise the role sport plays to shape society; and, consider how they can optimise health practices by evaluating advertisements, aiming to improve community health and wellbeing.

• Theoretical units include: First Aid, Tactical Awareness, and Sociology in Sport.
• Practical units include: Lifesaving, Volleyball, AFL, and Sports Aerobics.

NOTE:  Due to facility availability, some of the practical units can be altered on a yearly basis

Core Physical Education (PE) is a mandatory, practical subject studied from Years 10 to 12. It is an opportunity to develop physical literacy by undertaking a variety of activities to enhance teamwork, leadership, resilience and personal fitness. The aim of the subject is to allow students to experience a broad range of individual and team activities, encouraging participation in physical activity beyond the School setting. Skateboarding, strength and conditioning, cardio tennis, aquatic games, hip-hop dance and self-defence are some of the activities included in the course. 

Health Studies and Physical Education is an elective subject which allows students to experience the Senior subjects of Physical Education and Health in an integrated format. In doing so, students are afforded the opportunity to learn about behavioural, cognitive and health promotion theories, while still learning about the human body and its physical application. It is a course of study designed to encourage students to:

• Analyse how personal, social, cultural, economic, technological and environmental factors shape understanding of- and opportunities for- health and physical activity locally, regionally and globally.
• Develop and implement health promotions aimed at improving the physical and mental health of the school community.
• Understand that movement and physical concepts are informed by the sciences, such as the biophysical (exercise physiology, biomechanics, motor learning), the sociocultural (history, sociology, cultural studies) and the behavioural (psychology, health promotion) which are applied, analysed and evaluated in both practical and classroom settings.
• Analyse progress in physical performance settings in order to develop and implement strategies for further improvement.
• Develop movement competence and confidence in a range of physical activities in a variety of contexts and environments by building upon the important foundations of play and movement skills.
• Develop and use personal and social skills and strategies to promote a sense of personal identity and wellbeing while building and maintaining positive relationships.

This subject may be of interest to those wishing to pursue a career within the medical and allied health fields, as well as those interested in a career within the sporting industry. It leads to Health Education and/or Physical Education in Year 11.

Drawing from the health, behavioural, social and physical sciences, Senior Health is an elective subject which offers students an action, advocacy and evaluation-oriented curriculum. Embedded in Health is the Health inquiry model that provides the conceptual framework for this syllabus. Health as a subject is developmental and becomes increasingly more complex across the four units through the use of overarching approaches, frameworks and resources. This subject is underpinned by a salutogenic (strengths-based) approach, which focuses on how health resources are accessed and enhanced. Health uses an inquiry approach informed by the critical analysis of health information to investigate sustainable health change at personal, peer, family and community levels. Students define and understand broad health topics, which they reframe into specific contextualised health issues for further investigation. Students plan, implement, evaluate and reflect on action strategies that mediate, enable and advocate change through health promotion.

Studying Health will highlight the value and dynamic nature of the discipline, alongside the purposeful processes and empathetic approach needed to enact change. The investigative skills required to understand complex issues and problems will enable interdisciplinary learning, and prepare students for further study and a diverse range of career pathways. The development of problem-solving and decision-making skills will serve to enable learning now and in the future.

Subject recommendation: It is an advantage (although not necessary) to have completed at least 1 semester of Health Studies and Physical Education in Year 10. It is recommended that students wishing to pursue Health should have strong writing and research skills. A minimum result of a B standard in Year 10 English, or a Year 10 science or social science subject, would be an advantage.

Physical Education is an elective subject where students learn experientially through three stages of an inquiry approach to ascertain relationships between the scientific and the physical contexts. Students recognise and explain concepts and principles about and through movement, and demonstrate and apply body and movement concepts to movement sequences and movement strategies. This subject focuses on the complexities and interrelationships of sports performance by investigating the psychological, biomechanical, physiological and sociological factors that influence individual and team physical performance, and wider social attitudes to physical activity. Through their purposeful and authentic experiences in physical activities, students gather, analyse and synthesise data to devise strategies to optimise engagement and performance. They evaluate and justify strategies about and in movement by drawing on informed, reflective decision-making.

Physically educated learners develop the 21st century skills of critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, personal and social skills, collaboration and teamwork, and information and communication technologies skills through rich and diverse learning experiences about, through and in physical activity. Physical Education fosters an appreciation of the values and knowledge within and across disciplines, and builds on students’ capacities to be self-directed, work towards specific goals, develop positive behaviours and establish lifelong active engagement in a wide range of pathways beyond school.

Subject recommendation: It would be an advantage to have studied Year 10 Health Studies and Physical Education. However, this is not essential, and students can still attain excellent results without this background.