|
National Healthy Schools Programme THE NATIONAL HEALTHY SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
The National Healthy Schools Programme (NHSP) is an exciting long term initiative from the Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools and Families, which is helping children and young people in thousands of schools across England to be more healthy
The National Healthy Schools Programme supports the links between health, behaviour and achievement; it is about creating healthy and happy children and young people, who do better in learning and in life. It ensures a range of outcomes across 4 principal aims:
- To help to raise pupil achievement
- To help to reduce health inequalities
- To help promote social inclusion
- To support children and young people in developing healthy behaviours
The Programme is based on a whole-school approach to physical and emotional well-being focused on four core themes;
The four Healthy School themes
- PSHE including SRE and Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco education
- Healthy Eating
- Physical Activity
- Emotional Health and Well-Being
The programme is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health, with a regional and local network. By 2009, the Government wants every school to be working towards achieving National Healthy School status. Every Local Education Authority and Primary Care Trust already has a local Healthy Schools programme to support schools in reaching this target.
National Healthy Schools Programme is about changing lives and improving the life chances of children and young people. Its an ambitious programme. The Department of Health has commissioned a three-year evaluation of the NHSP by National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). NatCen will be looking at the impact of the NHSP on schools, children and young people through the eyes of 400 schools across the country. The study began in March 2007 and will be completed in 2010. Progress reports will be posted on the NHSP website.
In order for schools to gain National Healthy School Status (NHSS) they need to undertake a whole school approach which involves engaging and working with pupils, staff, parents, governors and the local community. This helps to provide a solid foundation from which developments and improvements are embedded in a systematic way. These processes contribute to the physical and emotional development of all members of the school community.
Progress towards Healthy School status
Current achievements/ Future aims
Schools tell us that the NHSP has brought about sustained improvement in behaviour, standards of work and school management. Children and young people in Healthy Schools tell us that they feel happier, healthier and safer. Their parents tell us they feel more involved in their child's health and learning and often feel better about themselves.
The four core themes relate to both the school curriculum and the emotional and physical learning environment in school. Each theme includes a number of criteria that schools need to fulfil in oredr to achieve NHSS. Although each theme covers a different area, they are all delivered using the whole school approach so the basic requirements are the same.
The NHSP ensures a range of outcomes in respect of, improvement in health and reduced health inequalities; raised pupil achievement; greater social inclusion and increased working between health promotion providers and education establishments.
Of course the programme is not just about physical health, it is also about good health and happiness inside and out. It isn’t just about pupils either; a healthy school involves the whole community – from parents to governors to school staff – in improving their health and happiness and getting the most out of life.
Parents feel more involved in their child’s health and learning and often feel better themselves. And schools say that the Healthy Schools programme has brought sustained improvement in behaviour, standards of work and school management.
Local Authority Support
Your local authority healthy schools team aims to support schools in gaining and maintaining healthy school status. Local authorities provide bespoke support for your school in relation to the four national healthy schools themes in the following ways.
- one to one support for the school’s senior management team and/or the PSHE coordinator in completing the Healthy Schools audit process
- Training and development opportunities in PSHE for all school staff
- Developing pupil voice and parent/carer and community involvement using a whole school approach
- Specific policy and practice development in relation to PSHE
- Signposting and facilitating outside agency support for PSHE related activities
The Four Themes
Personal social health education (PSHE)
PSHE aims to give children and young people the knowledge, understanding and ability to make informed decisions about behaviour affecting their health and wellbeing.
A healthy school will have up to date policies in place to cover child protection, sex and relationship education, drugs awareness, and managing drug related incidents. Other issues such as tobacco or alcohol misuse are also covered.
Although PSHE is not part of the national curriculum, healthy schools need to appoint a PSHE teacher and ensure time is allocated to the subject.
External support agencies and professionals such as school nurses, sexual health outreach workers and drug education advisors support the healthy school. And children may be referred to a specialist for advice on matters such as contraception, sexual health and drugs.
Physical Activity
This theme links with the government’s drive to combat and reduce childhood obesity through a target-led approach. A healthy school provides children with a range of opportunities for physical activity beyond PE and team sports.
Walking to school clubs, cycling to and from school and playground games can be encouraged and schools provide facilities such as cycle racks, and playground buddies.
A healthy school provides a minimum of two hours structured physical activity a week to all pupils. In addition, extra curricular activities such as football or sports clubs will be provided and healthy schools should encourage children and young people to have a say in the activities on offer.
Healthy Eating
Children and young people should have the confidence and the skills to make healthy food choices. A healthy school will teach pupils about diet and nutrition, food safety and hygiene.
The introduction of healthy school dinners and “Jamie Oliver” style menus although not universally popular have begun to swing the pendulum towards sensible healthy eating. Schools that run after school and breakfast clubs have the opportunity to offer well balanced snack foods as well as fruit and water.
Healthy eating must also extend to removing or restocking school vending machines to replace unhealthy fizzy drinks and chocolate bars with healthier options such as fruit smoothies and grain bars.
Healthy eating will extend to involvement with parents and schools council and it is vital that the school seeks their co-operation in changing attitudes.
Emotional Health and Wellbeing
Healthy schools promote pupils’ confidence and self esteem. Children need to learn to understand and to express their feelings. Confident, happy children find it easier to learn.
Schools need to identify and help vulnerable pupils through a strong and supportive pastoral care system, tough anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies and schemes such as peer mentoring and playground buddies.
It is vital that such policies should be owned by the pupils themselves which is why pupil involvement in democratic discussion through an active schools council is a key component.
Some useful websites:
National Healthy Schools Programme
www.healthyschools.gov.uk
Curriculum issues including drugs and sex education
www.teachernet.gov.uk
Information on food in schools
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk and www.foodinschools.org
Curriculum-based education around healthy eating
www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
Local information around healthy eating
www.tasteforhealth.com
Information about physical activities
www.activecities.org
Information about food sources and provision
www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk |
