Bringing Policy to Life in HPE

In this episode, we unpack how national curriculum and education policies like the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum: HPE shape what you teach and why it matters. A must-listen for student teachers and early career educators, this episode explores how you can use policy to advocate for health, movement, and wellbeing in your setting. Learn how to plan with purpose and teach with confidence. 

Music by amado zapana from Pixabay

Transcript

Hi everyone, and welcome to the podcast. In this episode we’re talking about how educational policy and curriculum shape what we do as educators when it comes to teaching health and movement in early learning settings and schools.

When you're just starting out in teaching, it can feel like there's a never-ending list of frameworks, documents, and policies you're expected to know. You might hear terms like “Early Years Learning Framework” or “Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education” and feel unsure about where to start or how they connect to your day-to-day teaching.

But here’s the key message I want to share right from the start: these documents aren’t just theory they guide real decisions in classrooms and learning spaces. Understanding them gives you confidence, clarity, and professional agency. You can use them to advocate for your students, support your planning, and strengthen your teaching.

Let’s begin with the Early Years Learning Framework, or EYLF. This national framework supports learning from birth to five years and provides a foundation for children’s future learning and wellbeing. It focuses on three big ideas: Belonging, Being, and Becoming. These ideas remind us that children aren’t just preparing for school—they’re learning and growing right now, in ways that are deeply connected to their health, emotions, relationships, and movement.

This framework sit within broader policy structures. At the federal level, documents like the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration which emphasise the role of education in developing healthy, confident, and active citizens. This declaration underpins both the EYLF and the Australian Curriculum, reinforcing the importance of equity, wellbeing, and holistic development in Australian education.

When it comes to primary and secondary education, the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education, or HPE, outlines what students should learn from Foundation to Year 10. It’s structured around two main strands: Personal, Social and Community Health, and Movement and Physical Activity. Within these strands, there are content descriptions and elaborations that show what students should learn, and how we might teach it.

Now, here’s something really important: the HPE curriculum is underpinned by five key ideas, or propositions. These are not just buzzwords—they are guiding principles for how we think about health and movement education.

First, there's a focus on educative purpose. This means HPE isn't just about physical activity or sports. It's about helping children understand their health, build lifelong skills, and make informed decisions.

Second, we take a strengths-based approach. Rather than focusing on risks or deficits, we start with what students can do, what their communities offer, and how we can build on those strengths to support healthy choices.

Third, we develop health literacy—helping students access, understand, and use health information. This goes far beyond learning about food groups or hygiene. It’s about navigating complex social, emotional, and cultural influences on health.

Fourth, we value movement. Movement is more than physical exercise—it’s a powerful way to learn, express, and grow. Through movement, children develop confidence, resilience, and social skills.

And finally, we include a critical inquiry approach. This means encouraging students to ask questions about health, society, and culture. For example, who has access to healthy food? Why are some sports more popular than others? How do gender or culture shape participation in movement?

So how do you, as an educator, put all of this into action?

Start by engaging with the actual policy and curriculum documents. It’s easy to rely on what a more experienced educator says, but their interpretation might not always reflect current frameworks. Take time to read the EYLF and Australian Curriculum: HPE yourself get to know the outcomes, propositions, and planning tools.

Then, use policy to advocate. If you’re in a school or setting where HPE is undervalued where movement is squeezed out of the timetable or health education is skipped you can refer to policy and curriculum to push for change. These documents give you the evidence and authority to say: “This matters. It’s not optional.”

Use them to design intentional learning experiences. For example, if you're planning a unit on emotional regulation in early childhood, you can draw from EYLF Outcome 3 or in schools look for HPE content descriptors about managing emotions, understanding self, and building resilience.

In ECEC settings, use the planning cycle from the EYLF to ensure your curriculum is inclusive, developmentally appropriate, and connected to community values.

And finally, remember that curriculum is what you teach, but pedagogy is how you teach it. The curriculum doesn’t prescribe lessons—it gives you space to bring your creativity, your students’ interests, and your professional judgement into play.

To wrap up, let me leave you with three takeaways:

1. Policy is a resource, not a restriction—learn it, use it, and let it guide your planning and advocacy.
2. Health and movement are everyone’s responsibility—they’re essential for children’s wellbeing, and we need to make time for them across all learning areas
3. You have power as an educator—to shape learning experiences, challenge assumptions, and support every child to thrive.

Thanks for joining me. Keep reading, keep questioning, and keep learning. You’re doing the work that matters.