Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Faculty

Includes subjects of PDHPE and Community and Family Studies

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) at Loreto Normanhurst is a core subject for all students in Years 7 to 10. PDHPE contributes significantly to the cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual development of students.
It provides opportunities for our students to learn about, and practice ways of, adopting and maintaining a healthy, productive and active life. It also involves students learning through movement experiences that are both challenging and enjoyable, and improving their capacity to move with skill and confidence in a variety of contexts.

Learning in PDHPE at Loreto, encourages young people to take a positive approach to managing their lives and equips them with skills for current and future challenges. It contributes to the development in our students of the capacity to take responsibility for their own learning and of a commitment to continue learning throughout life. The knowledge, understanding and skills developed provide a foundation for a wide range of study pathways within the school as well as beyond school and also have applications in a number of vocational areas.

Loreto Normanhurst students in Years 11 and 12 have the opportunity to follow two pathways within the PDHPE Faculty. Students may choose to continue with the study of 2 Unit PDHPE in years 11 and 12, and they also have the choice of studying Community and Family Studies as a 2 Unit subject as well.

The Senior PDHPE Program  includes a detailed study of movement and physical activity. The scientific aspects that are studied include anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and skill acquisition. Students also study a detailed social view of health where principles of diversity, social justice and supportive environments are fundamental aspects of health. The examination of individual, family and community values and beliefs and the sociocultural and physical environments in which people live provides students with an explanation for the health status of Australians as well as sustainable solutions for better health.

Community and Family Studies is a 2 Unit course that utilizes an ecological  framework to investigate the interactions among individual, family, community and society. In the Preliminary year of the course students focus the individual and their interaction with personal groups, family and community. The HSC year builds upon this by examining how the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities are affected by broader societal influences including sociocultural, economic and political factors. Community and Family Studies can have a direct and positive influence on the quality of student’s lives both now and in the future. The dynamic nature of this area of study places a particular importance on the skills of inquiry and investigation. Research is an integral component of this subject.