Health and PE

‘It's one of those things that people don't feel comfortable talking about. Why is it so difficult to have that conversation when it is absolutely critical for our social wellbeing as well as our health?’ Bronwyn Robinson, Education Manager at the Continence Foundation of Australia, explains not all students start school toilet trained, others need ongoing support, and some who have previously had no problems can start to have difficulties.

The Australian National Survey of Secondary Students and Sexual Health explores young people’s experiences of sex, relationships, sexual health and school-based Relationships and Sexuality Education. Data from the seventh iteration, involving almost 7,000 participants, have just been released – in this infographic we look at some of the findings.

What sports does your school offer? Is there an overlap with the sports and activities students participate in outside school? In this infographic, we compare the data on the top 10 sports for girls and boys aged 0-14 to see how habits have changed over a 5-year period.

Participation in physical activity is important for all students. However, traditional team sports at school aren’t for everyone. In this article, we speak to teacher Travis McKenzie, who has offered students the opportunity find their passion in physical activity through his program, Swords Club.

Australia is falling behind when it comes to children’s physical activity, with new challenges for schools brought to the fore through the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we outline 5 further readings which explore children and young people’s physical activity in Australia.

Findings from a cross-sectional survey looking into young Australian women’s experiences of menstruation and dysmenorrhea indicate the need for better menstrual health education in Australian schools. Find out more about the survey responses in relation to menstrual health in Australian Health and Physical Education in today’s infographic.

Research shows that pragmatic and evidence-based consent education in schools can have both immediate and lasting effects in reducing gender-based violence. In this article, we outline 5 further readings which explore consent education in Australia.

In the second part of our Q&A, author-educator Vanessa Hamilton discusses what consent education is (and some of the misconceptions), examples of what it looks like for students in primary and secondary, best practice for schools, and some of the challenges faced by teachers and leaders.

Age-appropriate consent education will be mandatory in all Australian schools from 2023. Kit and Arlo Find a Way: Teaching consent to 8-12 year olds is a fictional chapter book created for use in primary classrooms. In the first instalment of a two-part Q&A with author-educators Ingrid Laguna and Vanessa Hamilton, we find out more about the resource and research about the impact of consent education in schools.

As a primary school teacher, are you aware of how many students in your class are finishing their lunch each day? How many are taking food back home? New Australian research has found that most primary school students have just 10 minutes to eat their lunch during the school day. Find out more in today’s article.