Health/Hauora

Kiwi Sport Funding 2025

Health & Physical Education Curriculum

Introduction & Statement of Intent

In accordance with Section 91 of the Education and Training Act, the Waatea School Board of Trustees has prepared this Health Curriculum Statement following a comprehensive community consultation process conducted in 2026. This statement outlines how our kura will deliver health education over the next two years.

Our goal is to foster an environment where our tamariki develop the knowledge, emotional resilience, and practical life skills necessary to lead healthy, safe, and fulfilling lives. Guided by the feedback of our whānau, our curriculum prioritises a holistic approach to wellbeing, aligning closely with Te Whare Tapa Whā (physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, and family wellbeing) and reflecting the unique cultural fabric of our school community.

Core Learning Priorities and Delivery

Based on the explicit feedback and trends identified in the Health Curriculum Community Survey (June 2026), our school will deliver structured health education across the following priority areas:

1. Mental Health, Resilience, and Emotional Regulation

Equipping students with the tools to identify and navigate their emotions, build coping strategies for stress or anxiety, and cultivate positive mindsets.
Lessons will be integrated into regular classroom routines, particularly focusing on self-regulation strategies for our junior school (Years 0–3), progressing to deeper mental wellbeing frameworks for senior students.

2. Bullying Prevention and Relational Safety

Fostering an environment of respect, empathy, and clear boundaries. Whānau identified bullying prevention as a critical issue.
A zero-tolerance approach to bullying will be reinforced through explicit classroom teaching on what constitutes respectful relationships, how to safely step in as an upstander, and how to seek support.

3. Online Safety and Digital Wellbeing

Safe, responsible, and healthy navigation of digital spaces and modern technology.
Age-appropriate digital citizenship programs will be delivered at all year levels. This will guide students on protecting their privacy, recognizing cyberbullying, and balancing screen time with offline life.

4. Body Care, Physical Activity, and Nutrition

Instilling a lifelong commitment to physical health, personal hygiene, and balanced living.
Practical learning on basic hygiene, keeping clean, and developing healthy kai habits (from understanding nutrition to growing and preparing food). Daily fitness and physical education will complement these classroom-based health units.

5. Community Safety

Recognising and managing hazards in our local environment.
Targeted instruction covering water safety, road safety (including stranger danger awareness), and rural/farm safety variables where applicable to our families.

6. Puberty Education

A physically and emotionally supportive introduction to the changes of puberty.
This unit will remain strictly targeted to Year 6–8 students only. It will be delivered with high sensitivity, emphasising body positivity, self-respect, and respecting others.

Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusive Values

Waatea School is committed to a health curriculum that honors our diverse community values:

Te Ao Māori: Wellbeing will be taught through a foundational Māori lens, respecting holistic health models and recognizing traditional perspectives such as natural remedies and rongoā alongside standard health practices.
Multicultural Identity: We value and preserve the rich heritage of all our families—such as our Tongan whānau—ensuring that every child sees their culture, identity, and background respected and celebrated in the classroom.
Neuro-Affirming Mindsets: Our delivery will promote an inclusive environment that celebrates different brains, helping tamariki understand neurodivergence so they can support both themselves and their friends.
Body Positivity: Lessons will reinforce that all bodies—regardless of gender, shape, size, or ability—are beautiful, capable, and worthy of respect.

Organisation and Delivery Methods

The Health Curriculum Community Survey indicated that while 60% of whānau do not mind who delivers these lessons, there is strong support for integrating specialized expertise.

Shared Delivery: Health education at Waatea School will be co-delivered. Core, day-to-day wellbeing and relational skills will be taught by Classroom Teachers to maintain a safe, trusted environment.
External Providers: For specialised topics—including puberty, specific community safety areas, and advanced digital wellbeing—the school will partner with External Experts (such as public health nurses, digital safety educators, and community providers) to ensure accurate, engaging, and high-impact learning.

Whānau Partnership and the Right of Withdrawal

Waatea School views health education as a genuine partnership between school and home. We recognise that parents and caregivers are a child’s first and most important educators.

The Right to Withdraw: In accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines, parents and caregivers have the legal right to write to the Principal to request that their child be excluded from specific components of formal sexuality education (such as elements of the puberty module). The school will always notify whānau in advance before these specific units begin, ensuring full transparency.