Healthy Schools

The aims of the National Healthy Schools Programme (NHSP) are:

The benefits of being a ‘Healthy School’

A Healthy School promotes the health and wellbeing of its pupils and staff through a well planned, taught curriculum in a physical and emotional environment that promotes learning and healthy lifestyle choices.  There is a growing body of evidence to show that pupils who are healthy, achieve well at school.

Healthy Schools and Reporting Achievement

Since September 2005, Ofsted expects schools to demonstrate how they are contributing to the five national outcomes for children stipulated by Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004 – being healthy; staying safe; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution; and economic wellbeing. Gaining national Healthy School status provides rigorous evidence of this, and will assist schools in evidencing your self evaluation and completing a new school profile.

The NHSP builds on what schools have been doing for several years. The criteria referred to in this guidance complement existing and increasingly mainstreamed efforts to promote PSHE, physical activity, healthy eating, and emotional health and wellbeing in the school setting. Schools that are already participating in such work may not need to devote any extra resources but will be able to consolidate existing good practice.

Schools already involved with the NHSP

Thousands of schools are already involved with their local Healthy Schools Programme, and many have already been accredited by them. However, the Public Health White Paper of November 2004 outlined the Government’s intention to introduce more rigorous and nationally consistent criteria through the introduction of national Healthy School status. This guidance will enable schools to see how their current work is already contributing to the new Healthy School status Schools that already have Healthy School status will be able to retain this until summer 2007 while working towards the new criteria.

Government Commitment

The NHSP is funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Health (DH) with a regional and local network. By 2009, the Government wants every school to be working towards achieving national Healthy School status. The Government has ensured that every local education authority (LEA) already has a local Healthy Schools Programme to support schools in reaching this target. From this year (2005), additional resources will be allocated to local programmes to support their work with schools. Each school will have access to a local Healthy Schools coordinator to support schools through the improvement process.

Links to other Policies & Programmes

Achieving national Healthy School status enables your school to demonstrate its contribution to the five national outcomes for children and supports the targets within the following national priorities:

Audit Tool

Since September 2007 all schools are required to undertake their audit on the National Healthy Schools opens in a new window website.  This website has information about Healthy School activity nationally, regionally and locally, including support material for schools and information on how to access support.


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Related Websites

Contact Healthy Schools Coordinator

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