Personal development, health and physical education

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 between 1.5 and 2.5 hours per week in Kindergarten to Year 6.

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.

Personal Development, Health and Physical Exercise

At Brookvale Public School students are engaged in weekly skills-based activities based on the Fundamental Movement Skills which allow students to enjoy the wide range of physical activities, sports and recreational pursuits offered in our communities. 

Througout the year our students benefit from expert instructionusing external providers in gymnastics, dance and athletics. 

All students participate in gymnastics lessons at All the Way Up Gym in Brookvale. Sportspro provide athletics instruction for all students in Term 2 and our Year 5 and 6 students compete competitively in ballroom dancing through the Dance Sport Program.

Brookvale has four houses which are Aboriginal words, Malbooma, Baringa, Woomera and Eurobin. House points can be earned in the playground, classroom and at sporting activities. Brookvale participates in local and regional inter-school sports competitions, such as PSSA and Zone Cross Country, Athletics and Swimming.

Students at Brookvale participate in a wide range of additional physical exercise programs and activities throughout the year. Brookvale participates in the Premier's Sporting Challenge, each year, in which student's physical activity is recorded over a ten week period in order to increase students' awareness of how healthy they are physically. Student and school prizes are awarded for the most activity.

Each year Brookvale students from Years 3-6 have the opportunity to participate in the school Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country Carnivals.

In Term 4, students from Years 1-2 hone their swimming skills in a specialist swimming program at one of our local Aquatic Centres.

Our students also participate in weekly social-emotion learning lessons through the Second Step program. Students work to learn self regulation, pro-social and friendship skill that support them to connect, succeed and thrive. 

PDHPE Syllabus

The aim of PDHPE K–6 is to empower students with the essential knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes to promote wellbeing and lead a safe, active and healthy life.

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) equips students with the knowledge and skills to positively influence their own and others’ safety, health and wellbeing. In an increasingly complex, sedentary and rapidly changing world, it is essential that young people develop the ability to critically respond to changing health contexts and evolving physical activity options.

The study of PDHPE contributes to the knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' ways of knowing, being and doing and how these might influence personal and community choices.

Learning in PDHPE is the foundation for lifelong engagement in physical activity. Through PDHPE, students learn to value movement through the acquisition and application of movement skills, concepts and strategies across a range of physical activities.

Students practise, develop and refine the physical, cognitive, social and emotional skills that are important for engaging in movement and leading a healthy, safe and physically active life. 

Through studying PDHPE, students develop, evaluate and apply a broad range of skills to build and maintain a sense of connection, identity, resilience and respectful relationships. They develop skills to take positive action regarding consent, safety, health and wellbeing in a range of offline and online environments.

The learning experiences in PDHPE provide students with a range of self-management and interpersonal skills to promote and advocate for the health and wellbeing of themselves and others.

PDHPE addresses factors that influence individuals, groups and communities. Students develop health literacy skills to critique and challenge attitudes, behaviours and contextual influences and to evaluate a range of health-related resources.

The NSW PDHPE syllabus can be accessed here.