A Harrogate primary school is among six across North Yorkshire that are being recognised for their commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles.
Dozens of children attended a day of workshops at East Barnby Outdoor Education Centre near Whitby to honour the efforts of school communities improving the health, wellbeing and resilience of their pupils as part of our Healthy Schools Programme.
Children from All Saints Church of England Primary School are working towards their bronze, silver and gold “Healthy Schools” status, organised by North Yorkshire Council.
They have to meet criteria across four themes – active lives, food in schools, emotional health and wellbeing, and personal, social and health education.
The children and their peers undertook actions such as improving school dinners, setting up staff and pupil wellbeing champions and increasing ways to be active during the school day.
The council's executive member for health and adult services, Cllr Michael Harrison, said:
“It is encouraging to see the work that is under way in our schools in developing healthy pupils and staff.
“The award promotes being healthy both physically, through the food you eat and how active you are, and emotionally, by learning how to look after your mind as well as your body.
“Being healthy helps you achieve at school and enjoy life to the full.”
Now in its fifth year, North Yorkshire’s Healthy Schools Programme has grown from strength-to-strength and now boasts 270 schools from across the county taking part and more than 140 sites that have achieved a Healthy Schools award.
At the most recent pupil event, hands-on activities, being active in the outdoors with a campfire and educational sessions with the East Barnby team were on offer, as well as learning about healthy eating with the council’s catering school meals team.
In addition, pupils joined a health and wellbeing service, Compass Phoenix, to create “happiness boxes” decorating them with stickers and designs that they chose as a place to go to when they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, sad or worried.
They chose from some small toys and gifts to put inside them and were encouraged to add something special to them when they arrived home.
The awards were presented by the council's director of public health, Louise Wallace.
She said:
“Congratulations to all schools and pupils receiving the awards for their commitment to helping raise healthy and happy children.
“This successful initiative is a great opportunity for the whole school communities to get involved in promoting health and wellbeing.
"It was an honour to present schools with their healthy schools certificates, which they have worked so hard to achieve.”
The council’s young person’s champion, Cllr Alyson Baker, also presented the awards and joined schools at the event.
She said:
“Working towards an awards scheme like this provides opportunities for children and young people to make healthier choices and I’m glad to see hundreds of schools taking part in our Healthy Schools Programme.”
She added:
“Recently we have joined with York so that now all York schools can take part in the initiative and spread the message far and wide across Yorkshire.”
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