Key Priority Area
Quality Physical Education
Delivering high-quality physical education supports student skill development, confidence and lifelong participation in physical activity.
Quality Physical Education supports purposeful planning, inclusive learning experiences and effective teaching practices to help students develop the skills, confidence and motivation to be active for life.
School Journey Roadmap
Resource Hub
Planning Tools
All Key Priority Areas
Why this matters
Quality Physical Education provides students with the knowledge, skills and experiences to thrive in movement, supporting their learning, wellbeing and lifelong engagement in physical activity.
Builds Skills and Confidence
Develops fundamental movement skills and physical literacy, giving students the confidence to participate successfully in sport and physical activity.
Improves Health and Wellbeing
Supports students' physical, mental, social and emotional wellbeing while encouraging healthy, active lifestyles.
Inspires Lifelong Participation
Through inclusive, curriculum-aligned learning, students develop teamwork, resilience and the motivation to enjoy being active throughout life.
Top 3 actions to get started
Start with simple, low-cost strategies that make better use of your existing spaces, people and resources.
Review your current PE program to identify strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Plan lessons that maximise participation and keep every student active, engaged and learning.
Support PE teachers through professional learning and shared resources.
Strategies and approaches
Explore practical ways to support Active Recreation across the four implementation areas.
Teaching and learning
Support student voice and leadership in designing and delivering recreation opportunities, including peer-led and student-led programs.
Activate play spaces by training staff and student leaders to facilitate inclusive activities during recess and lunch.
Provide a variety of inclusive recreation opportunities such as activity clubs, themed events and house-based programs that prioritise participation and social connection.
Integrate active play and recreation into classroom learning and offer outdoor education experiences to promote lifelong engagement in physical activity.
Partner with community providers to deliver diverse programs beyond traditional school sport and broaden participation opportunities.
Policy and leadership
Provide students with regular opportunities to participate in active recreation before school, during breaks and after school.
Create safe, inclusive and engaging environments that encourage active play through access to appropriate spaces and equipment.
Encourage students to spend time outdoors during breaks and provide alternative opportunities for physical activity when weather conditions are unfavourable.
Embed active recreation within school planning, policies and programs to ensure student movement and participation are supported across the school community.
Community
Consider local providers to support Active Recreation through incursions and excursions.
Utilise local outdoor education and before and after school providers.
Establish joint-use agreements for school recreational facilities and encourage pathways for students to engage in active recreation beyond school.
Increase student awareness of active recreation opportunities and providers within their local community.
Environment
Review and activate underused spaces by converting them into accessible activity zones to increase opportunities for active play and recreation.
Provide inclusive and adaptable environments, including shaded or undercover areas, to support active play in all weather conditions.
Create structured activity zones with accessible equipment, line markings and clear prompts to encourage diverse, student-led and creative play.
Incorporate engaging and nature-based elements such as logs, balance beams, climbing structures and obstacle courses.
Ensure spaces support a range of participation options, including non-competitive, social and skill-based play alongside traditional sport.
Physical Education resources
Use these resources to strengthen curriculum planning, teaching practice and student learning in Physical Education. For more resources, visit the Resource Hub.
Curriculum & Planning
Plan high-quality, curriculum-aligned Physical Education programs using Victorian Curriculum resources, planning templates and teaching guidance.
Teaching Practice
Strengthen teaching with practical strategies, inclusive pedagogy and evidence-based approaches that maximise student learning and participation.
Inclusive Physical Education
Support every student to participate through inclusive planning, differentiated teaching and appropriate modifications.
Physical Literacy & Active Lifestyles
Develop students' physical literacy, movement confidence and understanding of healthy, active lifestyles.
This page includes resources developed by Active Education Australia together with links to external organisations that support implementation of the Active Schools Framework. External resources remain the intellectual property of their respective organisations.
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Impact stories
Explore how schools have implemented successful Physical Education initiatives.
Wittlesea Secondary College
See how Whittlesea Secondary College introduced pickleball and gym-based activities to build student skills, increase participation and strengthen connections between students and staff.
Belvoir Special Developmental School
See how interactive technology is creating more engaging, inclusive Physical Education experiences and increasing student participation.
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Choose your next step
Choose your next step based on your school’s context and available resources.
Review your PE program
Use an audit tool to identify strengths, gaps and priorities for improving your Physical Education program.
Build staff capability
Strengthen teaching practice through professional learning, collaboration and shared approaches to quality Physical Education.
Connect with Quality School Sport
Strengthen the connection between Physical Education and school sport to encourage participation, skill development and lifelong engagement in physical activity.
Explore All Key Priority Areas
Each Key Priority Area includes implementation guidance, school examples and practical resources.
Active Classrooms
Embed movement into everyday learning.
Active Recreation
Create inclusive opportunities for active play.
Active
Travel
Encourage active journeys to and from school.
Quality Physical Education
Deliver engaging, high-quality physical education.
Quality School Sport
Provide inclusive and meaningful school sport.
Supportive School Environment
Create environments that make movement the easy choice.
Need help applying this in your school?
Use the Resource Hub, explore school stories or connect with the Active Schools Expert Support Service to identify practical next steps.
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The Active Schools Toolkit has been developed for the Victorian Department of Education by Active Education Australia.