The heart of Health and Physical Education at our school is a focus on God, rather than on man. Our overall aim is to teach pupils to think of God first, others second and themselves last. The outworking of this philosophy should be genuinely positive involvement and participation in our communities, whether that be through involvement in a team, supporting people in the community, achieving personal goals, caring for the environment or social action.

Hauora (well-being) is an essential concept in this learning area. True hauora begins with acceptance of the ideas that man is created in God’s image and that our relationship with Him is paramount. We must recognise that we are knitted together by God. He gave us a function and a purpose and an eternity – this is made clear in His word. Spiritual awareness and growth is the key contributor to the development of an individual. Haora involves understanding the factors that influence the health of others and us. It involves learning how our bodies work, and how to make the most of them, recognising that they are a gift from God.

From this foundational understanding of what well-being really is pupils can develop truly healthy attitudes that concentrate on the individual’s right to contribute to, support and shape their community. Respect, care and concern for other people come from that understanding that men are all created in God’s own image. The attitudes developed in our pupils today will and should affect future generations.

Attitudes drive actions. We expect the actions of our pupils to be altruistic, powered by a selfless attitude towards the development of their God-given talents. God made every part of our body, and He expects our communities to work together like a body. We desire to see pupils become determined to promote health in the community through making choices that do not revolve around themselves, but around service to God and others.