What is Healthy School Status?
National Healthy School Status requires schools to meet criteria in four core themes. These criteria relate not only to the taught curriculum but also to the emotional, physical and learning environment that the school provides. There are a number of specific actions that schools need to take if they are to be recognised as healthy schools. Many schools are already engaged in these activities and achieving recognition need not be onerous.
Schools are asked to demonstrate evidence in the core themes using a whole school approach involving the whole school community:
- Personal Social and Health Education including sex and relationship education and drug education (including alcohol, tobacco, and volatile substance abuse)
- Healthy eating
- Physical activity
- Emotional health and well- being (including bullying)
These core themes are separated here for the sake of clarity, but many schools will address them all at the same time, as they are inter-related and inter-dependent.
Future Vision
It is envisaged that in the near future, schools will be asked to self validate and apply for National Healthy School Status. This will be a gradual process and the local Healthy School Team will keep you informed.
Purpose of the Healthy School Self Validation Form/Audit Tool
This self validation/audit tool is for all schools whether or not they have previously been engaged in the Healthy School Programme. It serves two purposes;
1. To assist schools to self validate/audit their current healthy school status.
2. To enable schools to apply for Healthy School Status once they have undertaken self validation against the criteria listed and are able to demonstrate achievement of all the minimum evidence required.
Applying for Healthy School Status
All schools applying for Healthy School Status should follow the National Healthy School Programme steps below:
- Form a representative healthy school task group.
- Carry out an audit using this self validation tool, involving as many of the school community as practical.
- If any of the minimum criteria are not in place then an action plan to meet each criterion must be put in place before Healthy School Status can be considered. Schools should therefore identify and record any targets/development areas required on this form in the appropriate column.
- Implement the actions identified, monitor progress and impact.
- Repeat the audit. Once all the minimum criteria have been reached, submit the completed cover sheet and back page to your local Healthy School Programme Team for consideration. The cover sheet must be signed off by the Head Teacher, a Governor and the Chair of the School Council.
- Be prepared for a moderation visit by a member of the local Healthy School Team or a regional assessor to validate Healthy School Status, ensuring that all written evidence is easily accessible. You will be required to submit the remainder of the self validation form only if you are selected for a moderation visit.