Healthy schools

Healthier living and learning

The National Healthy Schools Programme is an exciting long term initiative that helps young people and their schools to be healthy.

Healthy Schools help children and young people to reach their potential by building on a solid foundation of health to do better in learning and in life. The Government have set a target that all schools will be participating in the National Healthy Schools Programme by 2009 and that 75% of schools will have achieved National Healthy Schools Status.

The healthy Schools Programme supports 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.

The programme is based on a whole-school approach to physical and emotional well-being focused on four core themes:

  • Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
  • Healthy eating
  • Physical activity
  • Emotional health and well-being

The aims

To deliver real benefits for children and young people, specifically:

  • To support children and young children in developing healthy behaviours
  • To help raise the achievements of children and young people
  • To help reduce health inequalities
  • To help promote social inclusion

There are direct links between the criteria for the National Healthy School Status and the five Every Child Matters outcomes.

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.

Useful links

Website: www.healthyschools.gov.uk

Below is a list of agencies linked to this initiative: