OUTSTANDING EDUCATION AND PROMOTION OF SAFE SPORT PRACTICES (SCHOOL)
GOLD
Merrylands High School
Keeping myself safe
Merrylands High School has developed an effective awareness program for their students to identify and mange risks and learn how to make safe decisions, that extend beyond safe participation in sport.
Not all participation in sports is at a school and club level and this program helps students to examine safety risks at a wider community level and addresses recreational activities as well as sport.
From understanding the importance of safety while swimming at the beach or out bike riding - to learning first aid techniques and knowing what to do if someone at the gym offers to sell steroids, this targeted module teaches students the consequences of risks and how to be accountable for making decisions that will have a long lasting impact on their future.
The module has been designed in line with the Department of Education's quality teaching model and is taught by Physical Education teachers as part of the year-eight curriculum and more than 400 students have been through the program, now in its third year.
The module has received positive feedback from students and, as it is assessment-based, it increases the retention rates and allows pupils to more closely engage with the principles of being responsible for their own health and safety in a sport, health, recreational and social setting.
The course examines ten key areas that students may encounter through during the journey from adolescence to young adulthood and includes, risk taking and road safety, bike safety, party perils such as drug and alcohol issues, dealing with grief, planning for safety, being a passenger in a car with an unsafe driver and first aid training.
The program highlights how to say 'no' in risky situations, and how to assess levels of risk. More importantly students learn strategies to minimise harm, problem solve and define the health and safety consequences of risky behaviour - understanding that personal choices have a significant impact on their lives.
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