Health Promoting Schools
Schools are ideal settings for promoting health and wellbeing. Students and staff spend a large part of their lives there and schools are an important focal point in the life of whānau/family and local communities.
“Health Promoting Schools are schools which display, in everything they say and do, support and commitment to enhancing the emotional, social, physical and moral wellbeing of their school community.” (World Health Organisation).
Health Promoting Schools (HPS) as an approach supports a school community’s capacity to create and sustain environments that improve and maintain their health and wellbeing. Research tells us schools taking strategic multi-faceted whole-school approaches that are sustained over time are more likely to produce better and more equitable health and education outcomes. Programmes focused solely on personal health education in the classroom have been shown to be largely ineffective.
The HPS Team at Community and Public Health can assist priority school communities in strategic planning to:
- start with a school’s own vision;
- identify and address the school’s specific priorities around health and wellbeing;
- take actions that use their strengths and build capability in partnership with health, education and social services; and
- evaluate health and wellbeing in the school and the effectiveness of action taken.
The inquiry-based approach used by the HPS Team is focussed on outcomes and building on what schools already do – by integrating health and wellbeing objectives and actions into school planning and reporting processes.
The staff at Community and Public Health support all schools by offering professional development opportunities for teachers, and facilitating Primary School Health and Wellbeing Leadership Forums.
The Health Promoting Schools Magazine highlights HPS projects from schools across the region. This publication is distributed each term and celebrates achievements, shares ideas and stories about facing challenges.
Find out about the use of the Health Promoting Schools framework in South Canterbury (Wellbeing and Vitality in Education – WAVE).
Get more information about improving student wellbeing/ hauora in schools.
Follow-up on February 2018 Staff Wellbeing Workshop in Christchurch
More than 40 school leaders attended this heartfelt workshop with Ian Vickers. Ian shared passionately from his seven years’ experience implementing a teacher and school staff wellbeing programme as a Deputy Principal at Sancta Maria School (Auckland). He also spoke about his advocacy work trying to get teacher wellbeing recognised and resourced at a national level.
The challenge and call to action was for all to play a part in growing a culture shift in the teaching profession so that teacher wellbeing is promoted and valued. The many practical tips for getting a staff wellbeing programme going in a school were well received.
- Download Ian Vickers’ presentation from the Staff Wellbeing Workshop [10MB Slideshow – PPSX file].
- Download The Good New Habits Book 2018 by Ian Vickers [1.6MB].
Documents
- Health Promoting Schools brochure (Ministry of Education)
- Achieving Health Promoting Schools: Guidelines for Promoting Health in Schools (IUHPE 2009)
Links
Contact the Health Promoting Schools Team at your local office for further information:
CANTERBURY
Ph: +64 3 364 1777
MID CANTERBURY
Ph: +64 3 307 6902
SOUTH CANTERBURY (WAVE)
Ph: +64 3 687 2600
WEST COAST
Ph: +64 3 768 1160
Health Promoting Schools Magazine
Issue 58 – Term 2 2018
Student Health Forum
The Wharenui School HPS Leadership Team is hosting and managing the forums for 2018. The March forum explored “Community – What does community look like for your school?”
The first forum was a huge success, despite the cold wet weather. A great big thank you to Richard, Aliesha, and all the schools and excellent providers who made the forum such a great event for us. We were really impressed by all the displays and the work of other schools – we felt really inspired!
Water-only Schools Toolkit
This toolkit has been developed for schools to use as a quick and easy guide to how to become water-only.
The toolkit contains information and resources to support your school along the way.
- Order your copy of the Water-only Schools Toolkit.
- Download a copy of the Water-only Schools Toolkit – if you are outside our geographical area.
Healthy Events and Fundraisers: A Guide for School and Community Organisers
This booklet is designed to help you, your school and your community, create a food and drink environment that encourages making the healthy choice the easy choice.
The guide provides sample food and nutrition policies for events and schools as well as ideas for healthy prizes, kai, products to sell and activities to do.
- Order your copy of Healthy Events and Fundraisers.
- Download a copy of Healthy Events and Fundraisers – if you are outside our geographical area.