CONTENTSOn this page
Draft curriculum content
This page is based on the draft Year 9 content for Health and Physical Education, which is currently open for feedback. Schools are not required to implement changes until the consultation process is confirmed.
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In Year 9, your child will explore the challenges people may face in the early teenage years and learn self-care strategies to manage stress and maintain health and wellbeing.
They will build skills in communication, critical thinking, and maintaining respectful, safe, and inclusive relationships. They will also examine how physical, mental, social, emotional, and sexual development interact and the importance of respect and consent.
In physical education, your child will develop skills and tactics for sports and other physical activities with increasing accuracy and specificity. They will learn to use data to improve performance and create personal training plans, to adopt sustainable and safe outdoor practices, and to build teamwork skills.
Health education#
Bodies | Minds#
With your child, you could:
- download the Mental Health Foundation poster, FIVE Ways to Wellbeing, read it with your child and discuss with them, and the whole family if possible, and activities the family could do to support their mental and emotional wellbeing
- download the pamphlet, Healthy Eating for Young People, and discuss the guidelines with your child, thinking about how well they are achieving them, encourage them to reflect on their mental and emotional state (for example, feeling alert or tired, satisfied or hungry) and how this changes across the day, ask whether they feel they are eating a good balance of foods that supports their health and wellbeing, and help them identify possible changes to what and when they eat to maintain their energy and mental focus throughout the day
- discuss the difference between being at intermediate or a contributing school and at high school, What has changed for better, and what is a concern? Help your child identify one area of concern, something causing stress and make a plan to help manage this situation (for example, peer pressure, social expectations, not fitting in)
- practise being assertive and using refusal (saying ‘no’) skills by role-playing situations with your child.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on pubertal change, nutrition, self-care, and alcohol and other drugs. For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- recognise stressful situations that occur during early teenage years, when young people experience a lot of changes
- investigate how physical states (like tiredness, hunger, illness) impact teenagers’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviour
- select and use a variety of self-management skills for managing change and stress, maintaining health, and developing resilience, for example, positive thinking, goal setting, and seeking help
- understand the impact of alcohol and other drugs on brain development, decision-making, and long-term health
- analyse factors that can make it hard for teenagers to say ‘no’ to alcohol and other drugs, for example, peer pressure, attractive portrayals in the media.
Relationships#
With your child, you could:
- ask who they follow on social media or who one of their role models is, and discuss how this role model provides helpful, and unhelpful, information about health and wellbeing (for example, what they are doing, what they have achieved, what they say, the products they promote); help your child to see the role model from a different viewpoint and question if everything they say and do is helpful
- find an online educational video about consent, watch it with your child and ask them to think about what they learnt about consent at primary school, what they now know about giving or refusing consent, and what makes this easier or harder now as a teenager
- locate the Netsafe booklet 'Body Image and Social Media' (see link below), review this resource with your child, and make a plan together to action one of the tips
- select a TV programme or film where people are being stereotyped in some way and discuss the reasons why your child thinks the person is being stereotyped and what they would say or do in a similar situation.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on what your child needs to understand and do to maintain healthy relationships and stay safe. For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- recognise the impact of emotions, culture, and the ability to interpret non-verbal cues (like facial expressions, body language) on people’s ability to manage tricky social situations
- understand the way inclusive practices (like speaking up, and supporting others) help ensure people of diverse identities in communities feel safe, supported, and that they belong
- recognise how power imbalances in relationships, where one person thinks they have control or authority over another, get in the way of giving and or refusing consent
- recognise that there are many ways teenagers can be unsafe online and identify ways to be as safe as possible, for example, developing digital literacy, managing screen time
- critically analyse representations of sexual activity and relationships in the media, including the negative impact of pornography
- recognise how stereotypes get in the way of supportive relationships and identify ways to treat people fairly (for example challenging assumptions).
Sex education#
With your child, you could discuss a film, TV programme or book that shows a romantic relationship between teenagers.
Talk with your child about the values and beliefs that are important for wellbeing in relationships.
You could focus on whether the values presented in the book, film or programme align with your own values.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on consent, sexual development, representations of sexual activity, and where to find advice. For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- recognise that a range of values and beliefs shape teenagers’ ideas about romantic and sexual relationships, for example, family, cultural values, and social norms
- recognise that everyone has the right to make their own, consensual decisions about sexual activity explain how various forms of contraception can help prevent unplanned pregnancies and the risk of sexually transmissible infections
- identify agencies that provide confidential support for sexual health and relationship matters
- understand that thinking about sex is a normal part of human experience.
Physical education#
Movement skills#
With your child, you could:
- measure their heart rate before and after exercise (for example, running up and down the stairs 5 times), and record it in a simple notebook or spreadsheet, then help them set goals for improvement and monitor their progress over time
- design a fitness plan with activities for the differing needs of the whole family, varying the type of exercise and intensity each day, and discuss how the time of day an activity happens, whether warm-ups are completed, and what is eaten or drunk beforehand, might affect the plan
- encourage your child to use the knowledge they have learned about a sport or other physical activity, for example, by teaching a younger sibling or family member, or helping coach or umpire a younger sports team.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on what your child needs to understand and do to develop a personal exercise programme, take part in invasion games like hockey, play net and wall games like badminton, and take part in other sports and activities.
For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- collect and monitor appropriate data before, during, and after exercise to understand the body’s response to exercise, assess progress, and set goals
- explain how to conduct fitness tests that are tailored to a chosen sport or activity
- create a balanced training programme in which the frequency, intensity, and type of exercise are tailored to the activity and goals
- accurately apply the rules, strategies, and tactics required to participate in or act as an official in a chosen sport or activity
- explain how warm-ups, correct nutrition, and psychological techniques can help people prepare for physical activity
- apply and refine the movement patterns, poses, or skills required to participate in a selected activity.
Outdoor education#
With your child, you could:
- check out some of the resources on the website, Te Taiao | Our Natural Environment, and discuss the ideas and suggestions
- when you go out and about, discuss how you will carry out all your rubbish to dispose of at home in the appropriate way
- practise and model good recycling practices and encourage your child to adopt them; discuss where items like food scraps, foil, plastic, and cardboard should be disposed of to protect the environment
- discuss the concept, ‘take only photos, leave only footprints’, and consider tikanga around collecting things from the environment
- encourage your child to take responsibility and leadership on outings by letting them plan routes using maps, help them identify landmarks and hazards, make plans to mitigate risks, check information boards and online sites for warnings about the area; and discuss why there are rules and the importance of safety.
What the teacher will focus on
The teacher will focus on what your child needs to understand and do to enjoy outdoor activities safely.
For example, by the end of the year, your child may be able to:
- explain the importance of sustainable practices that protect and respect the natural world, demonstrating tiakitanga | guardianship
- plan and prepare for outdoor activities by assessing risks, ensuring the group works in a coordinated way, and identifying potential challenges and how to address them.
