Planning your Physical Health Curriculum

Policy

Physical Health education falls into the physical health and mental wellbeing part of the RSHE curriculum. It's a statutory requirement to teach this topic to both primary and secondary learners using an age appropriate approach.

The physical health part of the curriculum covers, physical health and fitness, healthy eating, health prevention (personal hygiene, dental health, the importance of sleep, vaccination and screening) and basic first aid. The changing adolescent body is also covered in this part of the curriculum (see sex education resources).

DfE relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education guidance

Training

Details of current mental wellbeing training programmes available for practitioners working with Somerset children or parents and carers are available on Public Health Training Page.

The Department for Education also offers several modules to support teaching physical health education:

teacher training: physical health and fitness module.

teacher training: healthy eating module.

teacher training: health and prevention module

teacher training: basic first aid module

Teaching Resources for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating

Better Health: Every Mind Matters physical and mental wellbeing KS2 - KS4 lesson pack.

School Zone being active reception - KS2 toolkit and resources including whole school approach material.

Better Health: body image in a digital world KS3 - KS4 lesson pack.

School Zone Our Healthy Year: healthy habits reception - KS2 toolkit, activities, resources.

NHS The Eatwell Guide (plate)

School Zone healthy eating KS1 - KS2 assembly and resources

Physical health and mental wellbeing are interlinked, its important that learners understand how they both contribute. Resources are available on the Lifestyles Toolkit (teaching about body image and the Mental Health Toolkit (understanding body image, eating problems and disorders) to support teaching in these areas.