Many young children are overweight or obese, and there has been extensive coverage in the media of how this is on the increase. Excess weight is often carried into adulthood and can result in lifelong health issues. A lack of physical activity has been proven time and time again to contribute to poor eating behaviours and chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease. So it’s certainly an issue that needs to be addressed.

Schools have taken a proactive role in counteracting this for a number of years now but the need for developing lifelong, positive health habits in their students is becoming more urgent and, in some ways, more difficult when you take into account the increasing influences on children and young people.

For a number of years, the school’s role has been provided via the PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) syllabus. The PDHPE syllabus aims to develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, values and attitudes needed to lead healthy, active and fulfilling lives. The three broad strands within the syllabus are: fundamental movement and physical activity, healthy choices, and self and relationships. (Foundation Statements, Board of Studies, 2007)

In line with this syllabus, curriculum policy standards state that primary schools are to include 120 minutes of planned physical activity each week. Schools vary the ways in which the 120 minutes is provided but all agree that children need to be active every day as part of play, physical education lessons, and games and sport in school. But the family and the community must work hand-in-hand with our schools to ensure that the skills, knowledge, understandings, values and attitudes developed at school are taken outside the school gates as well.

The NSW Foundation Statements are short, clear descriptions of the knowledge and skills that each student should develop at each stage of primary school. They answer the question ‘What must be taught in schools?’ (k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au) In regards to physical education in NSW schools, they list the standards as ranging from:

• Participation in regular physical activity through creative play, dance, gymnastics and minor games; practising of the fundamental movement skills of balance, sprint run, vertical jump and catch in Kindergarten.
• Demonstration of proficiency in the above fundamental movement skills, as well as leap, kick, two-handed strike and dodge, and how to apply these in a range of challenging physical activity contexts in Years 5 and 6. They are also expected to be involved in moderate to rigorous physical activities and to monitor and evaluate their physical activity levels.

Schools can provide such programs until the cows come home. But, as I’ve said before, children learn via their role-models, and if we work together, as a school, a family and a community, to provide a positive message, our children can only benefit in mind, body and spirit.