Health and wellbeing

This new curriculum area offers significant opportunities for new approaches to organising the curriculum. The guidance will support the planning of experiences and outcomes which relate to the whole school’s approach to health promotion - physical activity and nutrition, for example. It will also cover experiences and outcomes in physical education, personal and social development, health education and aspects of home economics including practical food preparation and nutrition.

It will support the development of skills, knowledge and understanding (for example, developing and improving skills and techniques in areas of physical activity, learning about nutrition and preparing healthy food); the development of positive attitudes and the capacity to make informed choices (for example, making choices in diet, relationships, learning and careers); and changing behaviour (for example, supporting action to adopt healthy lifestyles).

The development of the health and wellbeing curriculum provides an opportunity for working across curriculum areas. For example, successful participation in expressive arts activities can make an important contribution to a child or young person’s sense of wellbeing, and there are clear connections between, for example, science and healthy eating and physical activity, and between learning about relationships and religious and moral education.

The guidance will take a holistic view of health and wellbeing to promote learning that is coherent, progressive and meaningful. The lines of development will cover the following contexts:

• health - mental, social, emotional and physical
• physical education and physical activity including sport
• eating for health, and safe, hygienic practices
• personal safety
• drugs, alcohol and tobacco
• relationships, sexual health and parenthood
• planning choices for school and beyond.

Guidance will emphasise the need to draw on appropriate professional expertise and to provide opportunities to involve children and young people in the planning of programmes. It will offer scope for strengthening partnership working in supporting the health and wellbeing curriculum. The guidance will also stress that careful consultation with parents is essential when addressing sensitive health issues, and promoting an atmosphere of trust, respect and support.