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Section 5: Personal and Social Development and Health Education

Secondary subjects and HE In S1/S2 a wide range of subject departments can contribute to pupils' health education. Here are some examples from a number of secondary schools.

Physical education In physical education a fitness element is included in the S1 and S2 athletics course in the summer term of each year. Within this the main areas of health-related physical fitness are highlighted, namely cardio-respiratory endurance, muscular endurance, strength, flexibility and body composition. Each pupil completes fitness tests in each area and this knowledge and experience is complemented through their activity in the athletics course. The tests and results are retained for pupil consideration. The emphasis throughout the athletics course is on enjoying exercise, the role of fitness in this, how fitness can be improved, experiential learning and the requirements for successful performance. Across the rest of S1/S2 physical education, a broad range of activities is designed to introduce areas for potential participation and involvement in leisure pursuits beyond school as valuable in themselves and as means of reducing stress.

English Part of any English course invites discussion of issues concerning health education at an emotional and social level. Areas of initiative and of thematic content invite discussion and exploration of feelings and thoughts and how to deal with experiences. Empathy with characters and situations in literature and in life is essential to growth and development of language. Much of this concentrates on investigating the impact of behaviour on relationships, feelings and self-confidence and on the examination of effective relationships. Practically, such expectations take place in reading and writing tasks, in exploring literature, in writing to express feelings and reactions, and primarily in group discussion tasks. Some contexts for exploration are: the transition from primary to secondary school, media awareness, family relationships, working together and a range of issues arising from particular literary texts.

Religious and moral education The course for religious and moral education in S1 and S2 allows pupils to study the topics: 'Rites of passage', 'Living by rules and principles', 'Belief in action' and 'Creation stories'. These provide opportunities for pupils to develop important skills related to health education. In 'rites of passage' and 'living by rules and principles' there are strong connections with the 'emotional health' strand, where pupils must explore emotions, feelings and the nature of the relationships they have with others. Pupils have to think through ways in which they and others have to deal with change. The 'Creation stories' unit requires pupils to look at matters relating to the creation of and care for the world. Specifically, they will be asked to identify and consider local and global environmental issues that affect the health of themselves and others. They will consider the issue of sustainability. This links closely with the 'social health' strand. The unit on Hinduism in S2 considers the issue of vegetarianism, which takes in some aspects of the strand of 'physical health' related to diet and positive health choices. In all of these units, pupils are required to develop skills such as an ability to express questions, to share feelings, to empathise with others and to respond in a considered and caring way to the views of others. This links very naturally with the 'personal search' strand, which invites pupils to develop a world view they consider to be right for them. In particular, pupils will be encouraged to develop a positive stance with regard to issues of equality and discrimination.

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