This week the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) released its first 2010 Communique. The Communiqué refers to advice given to MCEECDYA by Professor Barry McGaw, Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) regarding national curriculum developments. As a consequence, Ministers agreed that national curriculum development should cover all eight learning areas listed in the Melbourne Declaration and that the curriculum will define the core knowledge, skills and understanding that all students should learn across particular years of schooling.

ACHPER has advocated strongly for this and is delighted with the announcement. Ministers also agreed to “the prioritisation of Health and Physical Education (HPE) within phase three of the curriculum development plan; the inclusion of HPE as a core learning requirement for all students in each year from K–10; and to maximise within the overall package of required school learning the number of school hours that students participate in quality physical education and sport”.

It is noteworthy that all phases of K–10 curriculum development will be completed by the end of 2012. While the implementation timeline is not yet resolved the Australian Curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history for kindergarten to Year 10 - currently the subject of public consultation – will be phased in from 2011. Substantial implementation will be completed by the end of 2013.

ACHPER has worked hard advocating on your behalf for this inclusion and will continue to be there to provide advice and assistance to ACARA as the process unwinds. We will keep you up to date with announcements and progress through our National ACHPER website and the e-newsletter. View ACHPER's Media Release here.