Over 330 PDHPE teachers and professionals attended the annual ACHPER NSW K-12 PDHPE conference in Sydney last week.

“It’s always great to bring together so many people from the PDHPE community,” said Tracy Puckeridge, CEO of ACHPER NSW.

“There was a genuine buzz among the hundreds of enthusiastic delegates, presenters, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers and the ACHPER NSW team – all of whom contributed to a great two days.

“Special thanks to major sponsor Western Sydney University and sponsors VALD Performance, Tennis NSW and RHSports.

“Feedback shows over 96% of attendees were satisfied with the Conference. It is great to know we are delivering on what educators need and we’re always looking at ways to improve.

“The conference is a regular event on our professional development calendar and we look forward to seeing everyone again in 2024,” said Tracy.

Over 60 workshops were delivered across the two days by experienced teachers and leading health experts.

“The conference is only possible thanks to the presenters who give up their time to develop and deliver thoughtful and engaging sessions,” said Janice Atkin, ACHPER NSW Professional Learning Officer.

“We cannot thank this year’s 60 presenters enough for their willingness to share knowledge and wisdom with the PDHPE community.”

On day one Jenny Walsh delivered the keynote which explored the latest research on gender based violence and highlighted the growing issue of sexual violence being experienced by young people. She explained how social norms around gender is driving much of the sexual violence experienced by young people. Jenny outlined how an ethical framework driving learning, rather than just focusing on what is legal, has a greater impact on decisions and behaviours.

The Stage 6 HMS stream was extremely popular with 125 teachers attending the sessions. Workshops included unpacking HMS content, scope and sequence, depth studies, collaborative investigations and how the six skills can be embedded in programs. A big hit were the practical sessions on body systems and Sustainable Development Goals.

Day one ended with a collaborative future planning session, where teachers divided into groups for HMS, CAFS and K-10.

“Teachers discussed opportunities to network and work together locally to program the new HMS syllabus and the K-10 PDHPE syllabuses that will be released in 2024.” said Janice.

“The message from everyone was clear – teachers will need to collaborate across schools to share ideas, resources and the workload.

The conference included many active workshops focussed on engaging disinterested students in PE lessons and using observation and questioning as tools for formative assessment. Our partners AFL and Tennis showcased their new innovations and resources for schools. Jenn Sharp’s session rocked the beat, with body percussion activities to get the most reluctant dancers get their groove on.

Some of the businesses that presented their innovative programs included:

• You.Fo – a new sport that is a cross between Ultimate Frisbee and Lacrosse
• Consent Labs – respectful relationships, consent and alcohol
• MyStrengths – wellbeing program
• Matilda Centre – OurFutures and other prevention programs
• Smashed – alcohol education with a difference showcased their interactive drama performance.