Becoming a health promoting school does not involve adding a new program to what you are already doing - it is a framework that your school community can use to help coordinate the many projects and initiatives currently going on. The same principles can be used in child-care centres, hospitals or tertiary institutions.
Becoming a health promoting school means adopting the health promoting schools (HPS) approach and putting the HPS process into action.
There are many different ways that schools use the HPS approach. Some schools decide to start using the HPS process to address a particular health issue, such as bullying or smoking, and then gradually extend the approach to many other aspects of school life.
Other schools use the approach holistically straight away to address all issues within a school whether specifically recognised as a health issue or not. For example, a school may use the principles of the HPS approach in school management plans.
Both methods of employing the HPS approach are beneficial as the school constantly strengthens its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working.
Find out more :
join the Health Promoting Schools Association - Qld Inc.
access resources such as the 'toolbox for creating healthy places to learn, work and play' and others - see Resources and Links.
speak to other schools which are using the HPS approach.
Raise interest and support in the school community :
tell others about the health promoting schools approach.
gain the support of the principal and other key people eg. P&C/P&F Association, student council, tuckshop convenor etc.
establish a small working group and coordinator to manage the first steps of the process.
keep the 3 components of the health promoting school framework in mind.
share with other HPS schools in your area.
Is your school interested in the health and well-being of your school community?
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you are already beginning to look at health holistically within your school:
Does your school encourage family and community involvement within the school?
yes no
Is the whole school involved in providing consistent and comprehensive health messages throughout all areas of the school? eg. in the curriculum, through polices, in the tuckshop etc.
yes no
Does your school do regular safety checks of all buildings, furniture and equipment?
yes no
Does your school have a referral or support service in place that helps students with emotional distress?
yes no
Do the students have a say in decisions that are made in the school?
yes no
Does your school use a whole-of-school approach to stress management?
yes no
Do teachers use a social inquiry model of learning in health education?
yes no
Is your school committed to producing lifelong learning, health and well-being?
yes no
Is your school constantly strengthening its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working?
yes no
Does your school value the health of all school community members?
yes no
Does your school recognise that both the physical (eg. lighting in work areas) and social (eg. relationships between students and their teachers, parents and other students) environments can affect the way students learn?
yes no
Does your school ensure that the environment supports, reinforces and extends health messages delivered through the curriculum?
yes no
Does your school make the best use of available resources in the wider community?
yes no
