Students have the opportunity to learn:
- to evaluate the extent to which their self-confidence and self-esteem are affected by the judgments of others
- to make effective use of constructive feedback and differentiating between helpful feedback and unhelpful criticism
- the characteristics of emotional and mental health and the causes, symptoms and treatments of some mental and emotional health disorders (including stress, anxiety and depression)
- strategies for managing mental health including stress, anxiety, depression, self harm and suicide, and sources of help and support
- where and how to obtain health information, advice and support (including sexual health services)
- to take increased responsibility for monitoring their own health (including testicular and breast self-examination)
- how lifestyle choices affect a foetus
- about STIs, including HIV/AIDS, how to protect themselves and others from infection and how to respond if they feel they or others are at risk
- to recognize and manage feelings about, and influences on, their body image including the media’s portrayal of idealized and artificial body shapes
- about health risks and issues related to this, including cosmetic procedures
- how to recognise and follow health and safety procedures
- how to find sources of emergency help and how to give basic and emergency first aid in appropriate contexts
- about personal safety and protection, reducing risk and minimising harm in different settings (including social settings, the street, on roads and during travel)
- the short and long-term consequences of substance use and misuse for the health and mental and emotional wellbeing of individuals, families and communities, including the health risks related to second-hand smoke
- understand the terms ‘habit’, ‘dependence’ and ‘addiction’ in relation to substance use and to whom to talk if they have concerns
- the wider risks and consequences of legal and illegal substance use including on their personal safety, career, relationships and future lifestyle
