Health Programme Overview

Essence Statement In Health education, students develop their understandings of the factors that influence the health and well-being of themselves, the people around them and society. The students develop competencies for mental wellness, reproductive health and positive sexuality, decision making and safety management as well as developing their understandings of nutritional needs. They learn to demonstrate empathy and develop skills that enhance relationships, develop their sense of social responsibility and enable them to take positive action to promote well-being for themselves and others.

“Big Picture” learning objectives  Students will…..  Understand the meanings and benefits of total well-being, and how it is obtained through nutrition, personal hygiene, exercise, rest, recreation and quality healthy relationships.  Appreciate the value of personal fitness and participate in physical activities  Develop a strong sense of personal identity, resilience and self- worth through knowing their strengths and limitations and how to handle them  Manage changes, feelings, challenges, conflicts and risks to build and maintain healthy relationships with others  Demonstrate actions and attitudes of support and concern for the well-being of others  Use the skills, knowledge and understandings they have gained in responsible decision-making processes to make informed choices informed that promote the health and well-being of themselves and others.

How the School Programme Works  The Health Programme at SCC focuses on the seven key learning areas – Mental Health, Sexuality Education, Food and Nutrition, Body care and Physical Safety as identified in The New Zealand Curriculum pg 22  Our teaching units and learning outcomes can be found on the website. Classes cover aspects of each key learning area appropriate to their age level over a two year period. Units vary in length; some will be a major focus for several weeks, while others are covered in a short intensive time or learning outcomes are covered on an ongoing basis through integrated learning through other subjects such as Science, Physical Education, Religious Education or Takitoru.  Currently year nine students receive one period of targeted Health Education a week for 40 weeks.  Currently year ten students receive one period of targeted Health Education a week for 20 weeks.  Year eleven students are currently taught aspects of the health curriculum through PE, Science and Religious Education.

Sexuality Education Prior to 2001 schools could opt to exclude the sexuality components of the curriculum. This section of the Education Act, 1964 was repealed in 2001 making the teaching of sexuality education compulsory until the end of Year 10. The implementation of the Education Standards Act 2001, has made it mandatory for all state and state-integrated school to include age appropriate sexuality education in their health and physical education programmes. Research shows that quality sexuality education should start before young people reach puberty and before they have established patterns of behaviour.

“Sexuality education is a life long process. It provides students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to develop positive attitudes towards sexuality, to take care of their health and to enhance their interpersonal relationships now and in the future” Ministry of Education in Health & Physical Education in the NZ Curriculum, pg 38 All lessons in the programme are aligned with the achievement objectives outline in the New Zealand Curriculum 2007 and reflect the special character of our school. Parents and caregivers have the right to withdraw their child from the lessons. The request needs to be in writing, written to the Principal as stated in Education Standards Act 2001, s11

 Sexuality education is not Sex Education. It is about helping students understand and make sense of the physical, social, emotional and spiritual stages that they have gone through and will go through in their lives. This includes exploring gender roles, body image, discrimination, equity, role and influence of the media, values culture and the law.  Sexuality education is about providing our young people with accurate up to date information and providing them with the opportunity to question, think and develop communication and problem-solving skills to empower them to make decisions which promote and foster their well-being.

Sexuality Through the units taught the students will learn to:  Explore ways to care for their body  Identify physical,social and emotional changes that occur during adolescents  Develop an understanding of their reproductive heatlh using correct terminology  Explore the influences of media, popular music, family and society on young peoples expectations, values and decisions  Identify and practice strategies to set and maintain personal boundaries and manage peer pressure  Explore the rights and responsibilities of healthy relationships and practice strategies to build positive relationships  Identify a range of appropriate support agencies in the community

Mental Health Through the units taught the students will learn to:  Identify their personal strengths and limitations, learn to value their strengths and ways to overcome their limitations  Identify ways to develop and maintain friendships, use appropriate ways for dealing with conflict  Demonstrate respectful attitudes towards others  Identify peer pressure and bullying and learn coping strategies to manage peer pressure and make informed choices in relation to drugs, alcohol, smoking  Develop assertive communication, problem solving and decision making skills  Explore the impact of change, grief and loss and develop strategies to manage stress and promote resilience

Food and Nutrition Through the units taught the students will learn to:  Classify food according to the food pyramid  Evaluate food choices and identify healthy food options  Understand the relationship between nutrition and exercise and develop a balanced diet that meets the requirements of an adolescent  Identify and explore factors that influence food choices, including advertising, societal, cultural and financial  Explore the pressures, stereotypes and the negative impact of current popular body image on well-being

Body care and physical safety Through the units taught the students will learn to:  Use hygiene procedures to prevent infection  Identify and evaluate risks in a range of contexts involving smoking, alcohol, drugs, driving and relationships  Learn and apply a decision making and problem solving model to analyse and evaluate a range of scenarios so they can select options which minimise risk and promote well- being  Identify and practice assertive responses to risky or uncomfortable situations

 For more detailed information about the specific learning outcomes taught please refer to the Schemes of work on the website.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Teacher in Charge of Health college.school.nz