Grade 1 to 8 Health and Physical Education Curriculum

Promoting the healthy development of all students, as well as enabling all students to reach their full potential, is a priority for educators across Ontario. Students’ health and well-being contribute to their ability to learn in all disciplines, including health and physical education, and that learning in turn contributes to their overall well-being.

The updated Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1 to 8: Health and Physical Education, 2019 is designed to help all students reach their full potential through a program of learning that is coherent, relevant, and age appropriate. 

Exemption policy: For students in Grades 1 to 8, the government has issued a Policy/Program Memorandum that requires school boards to develop a policy/procedure allowing caregivers to exempt their child from instruction of the Human Development and Sexual Health Education component of the elementary Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Caregivers are invited to learn more about the Human Development and Sexual Health Expectations by Grade. Should caregivers wish to exempt their student from this instruction, they are required to complete an exemption form for each elementary student for each school year as per Administrative Policy 325: Exemption From Human Development and Sexual Health Instruction, Grades 1 to 8.