What is a Healthy School?

The Healthy Schools scheme is a scheme based on health and education partnerships across the region. Its aim is to provide support for school improvement through establishing a Healthy School climate in which improved health and well-being is reflected in raised educational standards. Guidance from the National Healthy School Standard (NHSS) 2005 emphasises this important link between health and school improvement:

"A Healthy School promotes the health and well-being of its pupils and staff through a well-planned, taught curriculum in a physical and emotional environment that promotes learning and healthy lifestyle choices."

The purpose of the scheme is to ensure that health education becomes an integrated part of the school curriculum and that the wider community is involved in its planning, implementation, evaluation and celebration. The intended outcomes are that there will be measurable improvements in both health and education in the school and wider community.

Through a whole-school approach, schools will have an opportunity to develop an effective framework for the planning and implementation of health education across the whole school community. Work carried out through the scheme will enable schools to improve both the quality of teaching and learning and to enhance relationships between the school, its pupils, parents, staff, governors and external agencies.