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Section 1 Planning for Health Education The central principles of the 5-14 curriculum are breadth, balance, coherence, continuity and progression. Health education programmes therefore must be planned in ways that provide: a clear statement of whole-school expectations concerning health education and health promotion the involvement of staff, pupils and parents in developing provision for health education balance and continuity in learning achieved through a core programme of study supported by          associated learning in a variety of curriculum areas planned coverage of issues such as the misuse of drugs and alcohol, smoking, healthy eating, sex          education and coping with stress clear guidance on resources and on learning and teaching approaches systematic arrangements for assessment that involve pupils recording their health education needs          and their levels of understanding an integral part of the schools' strategy for health promotion. Schools and clusters should plan for overall provision in a collaborative way to take account of their pupils' needs and the guidance provided in national guidelines. Equally, teachers need to plan for learning and teaching in a way that focuses on the three interconnected strands of health education:

physical health

emotional health

social health.

There is no need for over-elaborate planning to demonstrate detailed coverage of every bullet point within each attainment target: planning is about more than 'coverage'. Its aim is to make the learning and teaching experience as effective and enjoyable as possible. Planning that is too complex or repetitive wastes time and energy that should be spent on teaching. Nevertheless, long- and short-term planning is essential if learning and teaching are to be effective. Long-term planning Long-term planning ensures that the main aspects of health education receive attention over time. It also provides a means by which teachers and others can gain a sense of the overall coherence of the pupil's experience, and it offers a framework for shared understandings between teachers and schools. Long-term planning should be: concise corporate coherent. The following examples provide a range of approaches to long-term planning that are consistent with these general principles. The intention is to offer schools and teachers ideas and possibilities that can be adapted or adopted as aids to planning health education. [RETURN TO 5-14 ONLINE] [BACK] [INDEX] [NEXT]