Achieving National Healthy School Status

National Healthy School Status is achieved within a rigorous quality assurance framework. All schools achieving National Healthy School Status must have met national criteria using a whole school approach across the four core themes.

The four core themes

The National Healthy Schools Programme has four themes:

• Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), including SRE and drugs education

• Healthy Eating

• Physical Activity

• Emotional Health and Wellbeing, including bullying.

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 order to achieve National Healthy School Status. Although each theme covers a different area, they are all delivered using the Whole School Approach so the basic requirements are the same.

Achieving National Healthy School Status recognises that being healthy is not just about children and young people, it is about the whole school community. It is not just what happens in the curriculum, it is about the entire school day. By adopting the Whole School Approach schools ensure full engagement with the school community and secure sustainable improvements.

To achieve National Healthy School Status, schools are asked to meet the criteria in the four core themes.To achieve National Healthy School Status schools need to listen to the voice of children and young people and to work with parents/ carers and outside agencies in developing an environment which supports physical and emotional health and wellbeing. Gaining full engagement of the school community secures sustainable, long-term improvements that go beyond achieving National Healthy School Status (NHSS).

Partnerships with children and young people and their parents/carers are increasingly being promoted by government. In 2004 the Department for Children, Families and Schools (DCFS) produced ‘Working together: Giving children and young people a say’, to encourage the involvement of children and young people in decision-making processes in their schools. The DCFS White Paper, “Higher Standards, Better Schools for All – More Choice for Parents and Pupils”, expresses a commitment to increasing the involvement of parents/carers in schools and ensuring their voice is heard.

The aims of the NHSP:

• To support children and young people in developing healthy behaviours

• To help raise the achievement of children and young people

• To help reduce health inequalities

• To help promote social inclusion