Health Education

Physical health and mental wellbeing (Primary and secondary)

Updated 13 September 2021

Contents

Menstruation

Physical health and mental wellbeing: Primary

By the end of primary school

The aim of teaching pupils about physical health and mental wellbeing is to give them the information that they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing. It should enable them to recognise what is normal and what is an issue in themselves and others and, when issues arise, know how to seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.

Physical health and mental wellbeing are interlinked, and it is important that pupils understand that good physical health contributes to good mental wellbeing, and vice versa.

It is important for schools to promote pupils’ self-control and ability to self-regulate, and strategies for doing so. This will enable them to become confident in their ability to achieve well and persevere even when they encounter setbacks or when their goals are distant, and to respond calmly and rationally to setbacks and challenges. This integrated, whole-school approach to the teaching and promotion of health and wellbeing has a potential positive impact on behaviour and attainment.

Effective teaching should aim to reduce stigma attached to health issues, in particular those to do with mental wellbeing. Schools should engender an atmosphere that encourages openness. This will mean that pupils feel they can check their understanding and seek any necessary help and advice as they gain knowledge about how to promote good health and wellbeing.

Schools have flexibility to design and plan age-appropriate subject content, but this guidance sets out core areas for health and wellbeing that are appropriate for primary and secondary aged pupils.

Puberty including menstruation should be covered in Health Education and should, as far as possible, be addressed before onset. This should ensure male and female pupils are prepared for changes they and their peers will experience.

Menstruation

The onset of menstruation can be confusing or even alarming for girls if they are not prepared. Pupils should be taught key facts about the menstrual cycle including what is an average period, range of menstrual products and the implications for emotional and physical health. In addition to curriculum content, schools should also make adequate and sensitive arrangements to help girls prepare for and manage menstruation including with requests for menstrual products. Schools will need to consider the needs of their cohort of pupils in designing this content.

Physical health and mental wellbeing: Primary

The focus in primary school should be on teaching the characteristics of good physical health and mental wellbeing. Teachers should be clear that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health.

This starts with pupils being taught about the benefits and importance of daily exercise, good nutrition and sufficient sleep, and giving pupils the language and knowledge to understand the normal range of emotions that everyone experiences. This should enable pupils to articulate how they are feeling, develop the language to talk about their bodies, health and emotions and judge whether what they are feeling and how they are behaving is appropriate and proportionate for the situations that they experience.

Teachers should go on to talk about the steps pupils can take to protect and support their own and others’ health and wellbeing, including simple self-care techniques, personal hygiene, prevention of health and wellbeing problems and basic first aid.

Emphasis should be given to the positive two-way relationship between good physical health and good mental wellbeing, and the benefits to mental wellbeing of physical exercise and time spent outdoors.

Pupils should also be taught the benefits of hobbies, interests and participation in their own communities. This teaching should make clear that people are social beings and that spending time with others, taking opportunities to consider the needs of others and practising service to others, including in organised and structured activities and groups (for example the scouts or girl guide movements), are beneficial for health and wellbeing.

Pupils should be taught about the benefits of rationing time spent online and the risks of excessive use of electronic devices. In later primary school, pupils should be taught why social media, computer games and online gaming have age restrictions and should be equipped to manage common difficulties encountered online.

A firm foundation in the benefits and characteristics of good health and wellbeing will enable teachers to talk about isolation, loneliness, unhappiness, bullying and the negative impact of poor health and wellbeing.

By the end of primary school:

Mental wellbeing

Pupils should know:

that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health

that there is a normal range of emotions (e.g. happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, nervousness) and scale of emotions that all humans experience in relation to different experiences and situations

how to recognise and talk about their emotions, including having a varied vocabulary of words to use when talking about their own and others’ feelings

how to judge whether what they are feeling and how they are behaving is appropriate and proportionate

the benefits of physical exercise, time outdoors, community participation, voluntary and service-based activity on mental wellbeing and happiness

simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family and the benefits of hobbies and interests

isolation and loneliness can affect children and that it is very important for children to discuss their feelings with an adult and seek support

that bullying (including cyberbullying) has a negative and often lasting impact on mental wellbeing

where and how to seek support (including recognising the triggers for seeking support), including whom in school they should speak to if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing or ability to control their emotions (including issues arising online)

it is common for people to experience mental ill health. For many people who do, the problems can be resolved if the right support is made available, especially if accessed early enough

Internet safety and harms

Pupils should know:

that for most people the internet is an integral part of life and has many benefits

about the benefits of rationing time spent online, the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices and the impact of positive and negative content online on their own and others’ mental and physical wellbeing

how to consider the effect of their online actions on others and know how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online and the importance of keeping personal information private

why social media, some computer games and online gaming, for example, are age restricted

that the internet can also be a negative place where online abuse, trolling, bullying and harassment can take place, which can have a negative impact on mental health

how to be a discerning consumer of information online including understanding that information, including that from search engines, is ranked, selected and targeted

where and how to report concerns and get support with issues online

Physical health and fitness

Pupils should know:

the characteristics and mental and physical benefits of an active lifestyle

the importance of building regular exercise into daily and weekly routines and how to achieve this; for example walking or cycling to school, a daily active mile or other forms of regular, vigorous exercise

the risks associated with an inactive lifestyle (including obesity)

how and when to seek support including which adults to speak to in school if they are worried about their health

Healthy eating

Pupils should know:

what constitutes a healthy diet (including understanding calories and other nutritional content)

the principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals

the characteristics of a poor diet and risks associated with unhealthy eating (including, for example, obesity and tooth decay) and other behaviours (e.g. the impact of alcohol on diet or health)

Drugs, alcohol and tobacco

Pupils should know:

the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including smoking, alcohol use and drug-taking

Health and prevention

Pupils should know:

how to recognise early signs of physical illness, such as weight loss, or unexplained changes to the body

about safe and unsafe exposure to the sun, and how to reduce the risk of sun damage, including skin cancer

the importance of sufficient good quality sleep for good health and that a lack of sleep can affect weight, mood and ability to learn

about dental health and the benefits of good oral hygiene and dental flossing, including regular check-ups at the dentist

about personal hygiene and germs including bacteria, viruses, how they are spread and treated, and the importance of handwashing

the facts and science relating to allergies, immunisation and vaccination

Basic first aid

Pupils should know:

how to make a clear and efficient call to emergency services if necessary

concepts of basic first-aid, for example dealing with common injuries, including head injuries

Changing adolescent body

Pupils should know:

key facts about puberty and the changing adolescent body, particularly from age 9 through to age 11, including physical and emotional changes

about menstrual wellbeing including the key facts about the menstrual cycle