Health & Physical Education

In Health and Physical Education, students develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to make decisions and take action to strengthen their sense of personal identity and autonomy, build resilience, manage risk and develop satisfying, respectful relationships. They learn to take a critical approach to questioning physical activity and health practices and to use inquiry skills to research factors that influence the health, safety, wellbeing, and physical activity patterns of themselves, individuals, groups and communities. As students grow and mature, they learn to access, analyse and apply a variety of resources for the benefit of themselves and the communities to which they belong.

Integral to Health and Physical Education is the acquisition of movement skills, concepts and strategies to enable students to confidently, competently and creatively participate in a range of physical activities in various contexts and settings. Students learn about how the body moves; how to approach and resolve challenges; how to optimise movement performance; and the benefits of physical activity to themselves, others and communities. Through movement in a variety of contexts and settings, students acquire, practise, manage and refine personal, interpersonal, social and cognitive skills.

Through Health and Physical Education, students learn how to enhance their health, safety and wellbeing and to contribute to building healthy, safe and active communities. It provides opportunities for students to develop skills, self-efficacy and dispositions to advocate for, and positively influence, their own and others’ health and wellbeing.

The Health and Physical Education curriculum teaches students how to be part of a healthy, active population and experience the personal and social benefits of living a healthy, active and fulfilling life. Given these aspirations, the curriculum has been shaped by the following five interrelated propositions that are informed by a strong evidence base:

1. Focus on educative purposes. The curriculum focuses on the development of disciplinary knowledge, understanding and skills, which underpin Health and Physical Education. The priority for the curriculum is to provide ongoing, developmentally appropriate and explicit teaching and learning experiences about health and movement.

2. Take a strengths-based approach. A strengths-based approach is characterised by focusing on supporting students to develop knowledge, understanding and skills required to make healthy, safe and active choices. This approach affirms that students and their communities have particular strengths which can be nurtured to improve health.

3. Value movement. The curriculum focuses on the explicit development of movement skills and concepts required for students to participate in a range of physical activities with competence and confidence. This supports ongoing participation across the lifespan, and positive health outcomes.

4. Develop health literacy. The development of health literacy skills is essential for people to increase control over their health and for better management of disease and risk, at both an individual and population level. The curriculum focuses on developing knowledge, understanding and skills related to the following health literacy dimensions:

• functional – knowledge, understanding and skills related to comprehending, evaluating and applying health information
• interactive – knowledge, understanding and skills related to making decisions and setting goals to enhance health
• critical – skills related to being able to selectively access and critically analyse health information from a variety of sources and apply this to promote own and others’ health.

5. Include a critical inquiry approach. The curriculum engages students in critical inquiry processes that develop research skills and the ability to appraise health and physical activity knowledge, and the way this influences decision-making and health-related behaviours.

Health at Tuart Hill Primary School

Teachers develop appropriate quality lessons around the developmental themes outlined in the WA Health Curriculum. We develop

content knowledge using skilfully integrated cross-curricular (STEAMy) learning opportunities.

Our staff are trained to deliver Protective Behaviours using the Safe 4 Kids resource.

Staff are appropriately trained to deliver Aussie Optimism. An evidence-based mental health promotion program in Primary schools, Aussie Optimism helps support our students to develop resilience, positive competency and pro-social behaviours. Our School Chaplin Mr Paul Stokes is also fully trained in Aussie Optimism and may support our staff as they deliver content.

Physical Education at Tuart Hill Primary School

Class Physical Education

At Tuart Hill Primary School, we have a Physical Education specialist who works with each class in order to deliver a physical education program. The physical education program comprises of many sports and activities, such as cricket, netball, modcrosse, basketball and soccer. The purpose of the physical education program is to ensure that each child reaches the suggested daily amount of physical activity (at least 60 mins), and enhances their social skills and interactions by participating in team sports.

Faction Activities

There are three factions at Tuart Hill Primary School, these are Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius. Factions compete at the annual swimming and athletics sports carnival. The swimming carnival is held at the local aquatic centre whereby students, teachers, and even parents, can participate in a range of swimming and novelty events. The sports carnival involves factions competing in a range of athletic events, such as long jump, running races, and throwing. Both the sports carnival and the swimming carnival promote a sense of achievement, resilience and competitive drive within the children, while also providing a sense of enjoyment.

Interschool

Interschool events are sporting competitions held between Tuart Hill Primary School and other local primary schools. This year, the school will be involved in the T20 Cricket Competition, Interschool Cross Country Competition and the Interschool Carnival. The School is also part of the national Sporting Schools government initiative to increase children’s participation in sports. In Term One this year, Tuart Hill Primary School has used the funding for equipment and a Commonwealth Games Badminton umpire to coach the students. Throughout the year, we also have famous sportsmen & women who visit us to chat about their sport. Physical Education