PDHPE at St Andrews
Welcome back to St Andrews for another great Year of learning in 2025. For our new Year 7 parents, welcome to the St Andrews College Community. Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) is a mandatory subject in Years 7-10. The PDHPE course in Years 7-10 is comprised of 50% practical (physical education) and 50% theory lessons (personal development and health).
Students in Years 7-10 have practical lessons once per week in addition to College Sport which is on a Thursday. Practical PDHPE lessons are an integral part of the curriculum where just like theory lessons, students must meet key competencies as mandated by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), For students in Year 9 and 10 studying Physical Activity and Sport Studies (PASS), practical lessons occur 3 times per fortnight.
Students are permitted to wear their full College sports uniform to and from school on days when they have a timetabled practical lesson and adequate and supportive footwear is required. When a student has a timetabled theory lesson, they are not permitted to wear their College sports uniform and must wear their full College school uniform. During the first lesson of the term, PDHPE teachers explained to students when their theory and practical lessons are scheduled on their timetable. We ask parents to support students in their organisation to develop good habits by packing their bag/uniform when required the night before, to avoid the potential morning rush and the possibility of forgetting their equipment.
It is a very exciting time for our Year 9 students as they begin their elective courses in Child Studies and/or PASS and our Year 11 students as they study senior Health and Movement Science, Community and Family Studies, Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation (SLR) and/or Exploring Early Childhood.
During Term 1, students will be learning about the following topics during theory and practical lessons:
- Year 7 PDHPE- Healthy habits and building teamwork and communication
- Year 8 PDHPE- Building respectful relationships and Net & Court games
- Year 9 PDHPE- Relationships & power, respect, inclusivity and diversity, Olympic Sports and Athletics
- Year 9 Child Studies- Preparing for parenthood
- Year 9 Physical Activity and Sport Studies- Nutrition and its relationship to physical activity and Modified games
- Year 10 PDHPE- Planning for their futures and world sports
- Year 10 Physical Activity and Sport Studies- Technology and its impact on sport and performance
- Year 10 Child Studies- Growth and Development
- Year 11 Community and Family Studies- Wellbeing, managing resources, needs, wants, goal setting and communication
- Year 11 Health and Movement Science- Health for individuals and communities and the health status of young people
- Year 11 Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation- Games and Sports
- Year 11 Exploring Early Childhood- Pregnancy and Childbirth
- Year 12 Community and Family Studies- The labour force in Australia
- Year 12 PDHPE- Health Priorities in Australia
We encourage you to have conversations with your child/children about their learning in PDHPE this term and during the Year ahead. If at any time you have questions about your child’s learning in PDHPE, I encourage you to contact your child’s class teacher.
7-10 PDHPE- practical lessons
As the hot weather is here, we urge you to support us in reminding your child/children of the following:
- To bring a water bottle to school each day. This can be filled during recess or lunch at one of our many water stations. Students are encouraged to drink regularly throughout the day.
- To wear their College hat when outside at recess or lunch and particularly during practical PE lessons
- To bring and wear sunglasses.
- To wear sunscreen. PDHPE teachers promote sun safety and encourage students to wear this during practical lessons when outdoors.
We urge you to support the work that we do in the classroom by having conversations with your child/children about the importance of being sun-smart and avoiding the risks of prolonged sun exposure without adequate protection.
As a faculty, we look forward to sharing with you some of the great things happening in our classes throughout the course of the Year.
Mrs Kayla Brogan
Leader of Learning - PDHPE and the PDHPE faculty