P30-31 Health & Hygiene:Page 6 03/12/2009 16:51 Page 31
Health & Hygiene
In secondary education – the basic methods
should be the same – with continued education
around the ‘catch it bin it kill it’ methodology. Healthy Schools: The broader vision
In addition, there could be Biology/social and
health lessons around the spread of diseases and
indicators all highlight the
schools can use the current media hype to
T
his year, Minister of State
for Public Health, Gillian Government’s continued and
demonstrate how this philosophy actually applies
Merron and Head of growing commitment to
to all such illnesses.
Healthy Schools, Richard health and well-being within
“Education bears an onerous responsibility for
Sangster officially the school setting.
walking the line between informing and
unveiled the next phase Richard Sangster
scaremongering, fighting against strong media
of Healthy Schools, which continues, “Achieving the
hype, with an age group that fears it would be
will help bring about part Children’s Plan absolutely
‘uncool’ to follow teenagers/parents/government
of the Government’s vision depends on creating a
advice,” says Dewick. “It could be that effective use
for the 21st Century School, school system which prepares
of social networking could be explored further to
by providing closer support for children and every young person to make a success of
carry the message directly to the intended audience
young people’s health and well-being their life, and although we’ve already
in this older age group.”
within the school environment. achieved an enormous amount through the
So, good hygiene practices should be started in
Richard Sangster, Head of Healthy Schools commitment of many schools and healthcare
early years, and carried right through education.
explains, “The 21st Century School is about professionals, in the future, schools will have
This can be achieved by making hygiene part of
much more than just learning spaces and a more significant role to play in supporting
young people’s daily routines, through signage,
school design in the physical sense, although children and young people to be healthy
through information packs and through other
this is an important element of improving and make positive life choices.
projects. Hygiene is a fundamental part of both the
the overall offering available to children and “Successfully achieving long term
science and the social side of education.
young people in the school of tomorrow. behavioural change around major public
If schools educate give young people the facts
The 21st Century School is really about the health issues such as childhood obesity or
about health and disease they can avoid the alarm
re-shaping of the whole culture and ethos of teenage pregnancy is not something that
spread by hype. Young people of all ages can
schools. It’s about creating a school can be easily achieved overnight. It’s a
process and develop these facts effectively. Without
environment where children and young constant, long term challenge and one in
them, they are in danger of reacting to a
people have easy access to all of the support which I believe the next phase of Healthy
throwaway headline (maybe heard on the radio on
they need to reach their full potential in Schools will play a vital role. We’re certainly
the way to school) – without the facts to back it up.
learning and life.” not asking teachers to suddenly
Schools across the country have already been
He continues, “This year become health or social work
provided with leaflets, tools and information
Healthy Schools celebrates its specialists, but we do
through Government Education channels. In
tenth anniversary year, recognise that schools that
addition, corporately responsible organisations like
having established itself as are working with Healthy
Metsä Tissue can also provide detailed information
one of the most popular, Schools already have strong
leaflets, which have already offered out to all of its
non-statutory government partnerships in place and are
distribution channels. Further copies can be
initiatives in English schools now well positioned to
obtained by emailing: fiona.lang@metsatissue.com.
today. I think a major part deliver aspects of health
promotion and targeted
uwww.healthyschools.gov.uk
of the reason for its success
to date is that its ethos sits support within the school
at ease with the reason why environment.”
teachers, headteachers, Helen Williams, Director of
nurses, and the broader Curriculum and Pupil Well-
school workforce do what being at the Department for
they do. People go into Children, Schools and
education because they care Families, explains the
about children and young Government’s future plans:
people and want them to “As the Government has begun
succeed in all aspects of their lives - to place an increasing emphasis on the
and that includes them being physically and health and well-being of children and young
emotionally healthy. people, I think Healthy Schools has offered
“There is now undoubtedly a far greater an invaluable framework of standards, good
appetite for the health and well-being practice and tools to help schools evaluate
agenda amongst schools than ever before, what they are doing - its legacy is that the
and the fact that more than 99% of schools overall offering in our schools has been
are now working with us pays clear vastly improved.
testament to that. “The next stage is to make good schools
“The health and well-being agenda is a into really great schools, by engaging more
big presence in every aspect of school life closely with parents, personalising children’s
today, and a major part of the programme’s learning, opening up school services to the
legacy to date, is that activities which were wider community and increasing capacity
once pioneering good practice - such as through greater collaboration as we build
integrated PSHE education, healthy school towards our vision of the 21st Century
dinners and children’s water bottles on desks School. This vision is really about recognising
- are now commonplace within the culture the growing role played by schools in
of our schools. And, this agenda is still supporting a range of children’s outcomes.
growing.” In the future, schools will still be about
The publication of the recent Child Health education in the traditional sense, but will
Strategy, recent ministerial pushes on also focus on developing the whole child, by
healthy eating, the publication of the 21st offering: more personalised education, a
Century School system, the intention to stronger focus on improving health and
make PSHE education statutory, and the well-being, and a wider community resource
introduction of the Ofsted pupil well-being to support whole families and communities.”
December 2009 www.education-today.co.uk
31
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