The document discusses the importance of PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) as one of the six key learning areas in the NSW primary school curriculum. It recommends spending 6-10% of lesson time on PDHPE, which is approximately 1.5-2.5 hours per week. The aim of PDHPE is to develop students' knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes to lead healthy, active and fulfilling lives.

1. The aim of PDHPE is to develop in each student the knowledge,
understanding, skills, values and attitudes needed to lead healthy, active
and fulfilling lives.
PDHPE is one of the six key learning areas of the primary school curriculum.
The Board of Studies NSW, recommends spending 6% to 10% of lesson time
on PDHPE, which equates to approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours in a typical
teaching week.
(Board of Studies NSW, n.d.)

2. English
Mathematics
Science &
Technology
PDHPE
HSIE
Creative Arts
Additional
Activities
English 25 - 35%
Mathematics 20%
HSIE 6% - 10%
PDHPE 6% - 10%
Science & Technology 6% - 10%
Creative Arts 6% - 10%
Additional Activities up to 20%
(Board of Studies NSW, n.d.)

3. Hypothetically, what do you think would happen if we dropped PDHPE from the
Primary curriculum, in favour of a greater focus on reading, writing and arithmetic?
1. Kids would finish primary school a year or two more advanced in reading, writing and
arithmetic.
2. This would occur across the entire cohort of primary students, but the bell curve spread of
performance across the cohort would remain the same as before, and your child’s position
within the cohort would probably remain the same.
3. There would just be a bracket creep of expectations, of the normal level of achievement in
reading, writing and arithmetic.
4. Your children would miss out on all of the knowledge and skills taught through PDHPE. With
the potential of leaving them exposed and ill equipped to deal with the health issues
plaguing our modern sedimentary lifestyle; such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, social
isolation and depression. Resulting in a reduced quality of life and life expectancy itself!
Would you consider this a fair trade-off?

4. Over the past decade several scientific studies have linked physical activity
and good health in children to intelligence, cognition and academic
achievement (Hillman, Erickson & Kramer, 2008; Tomporowski, Davis, Miller &
Naglieri, 2008).
If PDHP content was reduced in favour of more traditional academic learning
areas, it may actually be found that academic achievement remains
stagnant, or in fact declines.
“Exercise may prove to be a simple, yet important, method of enhancing
those aspects of children’s mental functioning central to cognitive
development” (Telford et al., 2012, p. 372).

5. The following three quotations from The Board of Studies NSW
(1999), summarises the ethos behind the PDHPE Syllabus:
 “The NSW PDHPE Syllabus makes a unique contribution to the total school
curriculum in that it is directly concerned with supporting the development of
the student as a whole person.”
 “It is based on a broad notion of health that encompasses all aspects of an
individual’s wellbeing, inclusive of social, mental, physical and spiritual health.”
 “It is concerned with developing in students the knowledge and
understanding, skills, values and attitudes that will enable them to lead healthy
and fulfilling lives.”
(Board of Studies NSW, 1999, p. 5)

6. The rationale behind the Board of Studies NSW PDHPE Syllabus, is to
promote and instil in students the importance of healthy lifestyles.
 The PDHPE syllabus strives to empower students with the knowledge and
habits that constitute a healthy lifestyle. Knowledge and habits that they can
take forward for lifelong good health.
 When students are well informed on health issues and have a sense of
control about the decisions they make, they are more likely to experience
positive relationships, improved quality of life and less illness.
(Board of Studies NSW, 1999, p. 6)

7. So what can parents and guardians do to support PDHPE education?
 Keep an eye on our class PDHPE ‘weebly’, to keep abreast of the topic your
child is being taught at any given time.
 Support the content being taught to your child, as you are their most influential
role model.
 Actions speak louder than words. “Do As I Say, Not As I Do!” We all know this
doesn’t work, if you want your kids to be active and eat well, you need to lead
by example.
 Get involved, do some family activities, such as bike riding or cooking a healthy
Sunday meal together.
Thankyou for your time,
Mr Greenwood, Class 4G

8. Board of Studies NSW (n.d.). K-6 educational resources: Stage and foundation statements.
Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/go/nsw-
primary-curriculum-foundation-statements
Board of Studies NSW (1999). Personal development, health and physical education K-6:
Syllabus. Sydney, Australia: Board of Studies NSW.
Hillman, C. H., Erickson, K. I., & Kramer, A. F. (2008). Be smart, exercise your heart: Exercise
effects on brain and cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(1), 58-65.
Telford, R. D., Cunningham, R. B., Fitzgerald, R., Olive, L. S., & Prosser, L. (2012). Physical
education, obesity and academic achievement: A 2-year longitudinal investigation of
Australian elementary school children. American Journal of Public Health, 102(2), 368-374.
Tomporowski, P. D., Davis, C. L., Miller, P. H., & Naglieri, J. A. (2008). Exercise and children’s
intelligence, cognition, and academic achievement. Educational Psychology Review
20(2), 111-121.