2. Rationale for PDHPE
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education is a vital subject in
children’s lives. PDHPE is one of the six Key Learning Areas (KLA) in all NSW
primary schools. It teaches students the importance of maintaining positive,
healthy lifestyles.PDHPE also equips students with vital life skills essential for all
stages of their lives. Students learn of the importance and need for these skills in
their lives and learn to value them. PDHPE must be addressed in primary schools
as it encourages students to live happy, healthy, responsible and productive lives
— enhancing their overall health and wellbeing.
3. Primary School PDHPE:
• Enables students to develop the knowledge, understanding, ability and
practical skills to communicate with others, make informed choices and
decisions and skills to solve problems effectively.
• In addition, students will develop fundamental moving skills and skills
enabling interactions with others.
• These skills will not only benefit students now in their current lives, but
will also benefit them in the future lives, in a variety of situations and
challenges they may encounter.
• Deals with physical activity as well as social, cognitive and emotional
growth and development patterns.
4. Personal Development and Health (PDH):
• Is all about promoting and encouraging healthy living.
• Helps students develop positive values and attitudes
that lead to a better, healthier lifestyle choices and
decisions (decision-making skills).
• Encourages students to understand and value
themselves as well as others.
• Helps develop and maintain positive interpersonal
relationships.
• Promotes and emphasises on the importance of
adequate physical activity (recommended daily
requirement — minimum of thirty minutes), eating
nutritious foods, maintaining a balanced diet and
having positive relationships.
• Provides students with the knowledge and
understanding of the body, how it the body functions
and the physical activities required to take care of the
body.
5. Physical Education (PE):
• Encourages children to be
actively involved,
participate in and maintain
a physically healthy
lifestyle.
• Is a contributing factor to a
promising and better
quality of life.
• Benefits physical health
and growth and
development.
• Promotes the five vital life
skills through group work
and team building.
6. • Be positive
• Communicate effectively
• Cooperate with others
• Enhance self-esteem
• Build friendships
• Be safe and aware
• Value having friends/close relationships
• Develop and maintain interpersonal
relationships
PDHPE teaches students to:
• Understand feelings of safety
• Eat a balanced, healthy diet
• Be confident in sport
• Respect, value and accept
themselves and others
• Have a responsibility for their
health and safety
• Enhance health and wellbeing
