Birrong Girls High School logo

Birrong Girls High School

Birrong Girls High School

Ad Astra - To the stars

Telephone02 9644 5057

Emailbirronggir-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

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 300 hours per year in Years 7 to 10.

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.

In Year 11 and 12, courses available include:

  • Community and Family Studies
  • Exploring Early Childhood
  • Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
  • Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Studies.

The PDHPE staff at Birrong Girls High School are an experienced and enthusiastic team of dedicated teachers, who work tirelessly to help students achieve their potential within this important Key Learning Area. We hope to ignite a passion in our students for lifelong learning and to develop their skills and knowledge to lead positive, active, and healthy lives.

All subjects taught in PDHPE incorporate teaching activities, which include literacy and numeracy strategies, current technology, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capabilities, and ethical and intercultural understanding in both theory and practical lessons.

Sport in Stage 4 and 5 is taught through an integrated approach and timetabled into the normal school program. Students are engaged weekly in a variety of sports including; modified games, invasion (a variety of team sports), and net games.

STAGE 4 and 5 Mandatory Subject (Years 7 – 10)

Personal Development, Health, and Physical Education

Personal Development, Health, and Physical Education (PDHPE) contributes significantly to the cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual development of students. It provides opportunities for students to learn about, and practice ways of, adopting and maintaining a healthy, productive, and active life. It also involves students learning through movement experiences that are both challenging and enjoyable, and improving their capacity to move with skill and confidence in a variety of contexts. It promotes the value of physical activity in their lives. Our programs include extensive movement opportunities in dance, gymnastics, athletics, and fitness.

STAGE 5 Elective Subjects (Years 9 – 10)

Physical Activity and Sports Studies

Physical Activity and Sports Studies incorporates a wide range of lifelong physical activities, including recreational and leisure pursuits, competitive and non-competitive games, individual and group physical fitness activities, leadership and coaching opportunities. Students lead Field Days, Swim Schools, and our annual Jump Rope for Heart initiative.

This syllabus promotes the concept of learning through movement. Many aspects of the course can be explored through participation in selected movement applications in which students experience, examine, analyse, and apply new understanding.

Recreation, physical activity, sport, and related health fields provide legitimate career pathways. This course introduces students to valuable and marketable skills in organisation, enterprise, leadership, and communication. Students with these skills will be positioned to make a strong contribution to their community as physical activity and sport provides a major context for both voluntary and paid work across Australia.

STAGE 6 Elective Subjects (Years 11 – 12)

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE)

PDHPE is an integrated area of study that provides for the intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual development of students. It involves students learning about and practicing ways of maintaining active, healthy lifestyles, and improving their health status. It is also concerned with social and scientific understandings about movement, which lead to enhance movement potential and appreciation of movement in their lives.

It should be a goal of every individual to lead a fulfilled life that is active and healthy. Furthermore, it is desirable to be a part of a society that promotes this as a key value and supports its members in leading healthy lifestyles. In order for students to enhance personal growth and to make a significant contribution to the wellbeing of others, this syllabus focuses on the health of individuals and communities and the factors that influence movement skill and physical activity levels.

The aim of PDHPE at Stage 6 is to develop in each student a capacity to think critically about key issues related to health and physical activity in order to make informed decisions that support and contribute to healthy, active lifestyles and communities.

Students will study two mandatory core areas in year 11; Better Health for Individuals and The Body in Motion. They will also study two options First Aid and Sports Injuries and Fitness Choices or Composition and Performance. The two mandatory cores in the HSC course are Health Priorities in Australia and Factors Affecting Performance. They will also study two options from the following areas of study; Sports Medicine and The Health of Young People.

Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation (SLR)

SLR enables Stage 6 students to build upon their learning in Years K–10 Personal Development, Health and Physical Education. Specifically, it focuses on those aspects of the learning area that relate most closely to participation in sport and physical activity.

SLR makes a positive contribution to the total wellbeing of students. They develop knowledge and understanding of the value of activity, increased levels of movement skill, competence in a wide variety of sport and recreation contexts and skills in planning to be active. These and other aspects of the course enable students to adopt and maintain an active lifestyle.

Students also develop a preparedness to contribute to the establishment of a health-promoting community that is supportive of its members adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Students work with the wider community in coaching, leadership and officiating roles. This course can assist students in developing:

  • The qualities of a discerning consumer and an intelligent critic of physical activity and sport
  • High levels of performance skill in particular sports
  • The capacity to adopt administrative roles in community sport and recreation
  • The skills of coach, trainer, first aid officer, referee and fitness leader. In the context of this course it may be possible for students to acquire recognised qualifications in these areas.

The areas of sports science, physical education, and human movement present viable post-school study and career pathways. The Sport and Recreation industry is a major growth industry and in this course students will gain an understanding and appreciation of the vocational possibilities in this area.

Sporting opportunities

The Edmondson cup is an initiative from the Edmondson Zone Sports committee to increase competitive participation in junior students. Teams compete in a one day round robin competition in Soccer or Netball, with a semi-final and final being played to determine a winning team in both sports.    

Students are given a wide range of sporting opportunities to compete in the Combined High Schools Knockout competition. Knockout sports played are; Soccer, Netball, Touch Football, Table Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, and Softball.

Year 11 sport is mandatory for all students until the end of Term 3. Year 11 sports program offers a wide range of competitive and recreational opportunities. These consist of power walking, team sports, circuit and aerobic training, ten pin bowling and rock climbing.

Field Days and Swim Schools are run twice a year for year 7 and 8 students allowing them opportunities to engage in a wide range of physical activities and team sports. Our annual Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals give students further opportunities to showcase their talent and skills.