SAMPLE RESPONSE LETTER PUT ON YOUR OWN LETTERHEAD [School] ACARA Health and Physical Education Consultation Level 10, 255 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Inclusion of Outdoor Education in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum Dear ACARA As a principal of [Name of School] I am aware of the changes happening with the development of the National Curriculum in Health and Physical Education. In the current social and community context where students are disconnected from nature I believe that Outdoor Education provides a unique range of educational, social, environmental and health benefits to students. It is important that these benefits are recognised and that every child has the option to access quality Outdoor Education as part of balanced curriculum from pre-school to year 12. The following observations are made of the draft shaping paper: Outdoor Education as both subject and learning process are significant components of the Health and PE (HPE) learning area within the current WA curriculum. The draft shaping paper appears to deal only with the subject Health and Physical Education. Although Outdoor Education has evolved to be a different subject to HPE, with differing content and often responding to different specific social imperatives, it remains focused upon a broad notion of health and wellbeing. While outdoor education as a method of learning can make contributions to other areas, such as Geography, other learning areas and sense of place, Outdoor Education resides most comfortably within the HPE learning area and should be clearly identified there. This is because it ultimately seeks and promotes wellbeing both human and – environmental. The shaping paper should recognise the importance to Australian children to have opportunity and capacity to recreate and respond in nature. These are acknowledged important health and well being educational goals for the 21st century. Outdoor in a health and activity related learning area comes as a Education’s position consequence of our primary affiliation with nature. The opportunity to recreate and be in contact with more natural settings contributes fundamentally to individual wellbeing and health, a tenet well proven through research.
SAMPLE RESPONSE LETTER PUT ON YOUR OWN LETTERHEAD [School] ACARA Health and Physical Education Consultation Level 10, 255 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Inclusion of Outdoor Education in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum Dear ACARA As a principal of [Name of School] I am aware of the changes happening with the development of the National Curriculum in Health and Physical Education. In the current social and community context where students are disconnected from nature I believe that Outdoor Education provides a unique range of educational, social, environmental and health benefits to students. It is important that these benefits are recognised and that every child has the option to access quality Outdoor Education as part of balanced curriculum from pre-school to year 12. The following observations are made of the draft shaping paper: Outdoor Education as both subject and learning process are significant components of the Health and PE (HPE) learning area within the current WA curriculum. The draft shaping paper appears to deal only with the subject Health and Physical Education. Although Outdoor Education has evolved to be a different subject to HPE, with differing content and often responding to different specific social imperatives, it remains focused upon a broad notion of health and wellbeing. While outdoor education as a method of learning can make contributions to other areas, such as Geography, other learning areas and sense of place, Outdoor Education resides most comfortably within the HPE learning area and should be clearly identified there. This is because it ultimately seeks and promotes wellbeing – both human and environmental. The shaping paper should recognise the importance to Australian children to have opportunity and capacity to recreate and respond in nature. These are acknowledged important health and well being educational goals for the 21st century. Outdoor Education’s position in a health and activity related learning area comes as a consequence of our primary affiliation with nature. The opportunity to recreate and be in contact with more natural settings contributes fundamentally to individual wellbeing and health, a tenet well proven through research.