Draft Guidelines for Sustainable Physical Activity in School Communities
These guidelines will help schools to plan and provide opportunities for their students to enjoy many physical activity experiences, both within the school curriculum and in co-curricular settings.
The guidelines are intended to support principals, curriculum leaders, teachers of health and physical education programmes, and teachers generally. They will also be useful for all those who are involved in providing physical activities in school communities.
The National Administration Guidelines (NAG 1 iii c) require all state and state-integrated schools to give priority to regular, quality physical activity that develops movement skills for all students, especially in years 1–6. These requirements aim to build a strong foundation for developing students’ movement skills during: play; planned physical education; outdoor education; dance; sports and games; and active transport, such as walking to school.
Chapter 1 explains the importance of physical activity in the school and suggests both curricular and co-curricular ways of encouraging it. Chapter 2 looks at how to develop a physical activity culture in the school. Chapter 3 suggests ways of providing physical activity learning experiences through physical education programmes in years 1–6. The appendices provide additional resources.
The draft guidelines will be available on the Ministry of Education’s website.
Your feedback is invited to help shape the final version. A feedback form for this purpose will be available on the website.
Note: The guidelines will be extended at a later date to offer suggestions for including physical activity in programmes for years 7–13.
Looking ahead
Later this year, the Ministry plans to develop draft food and nutrition guidelines for schools and early childhood communities, with consultation and feedback before final publication.