Public health is about helping people to stay healthy, and protecting them from threats to their health. We want everyone to be able to make healthier choices, regardless of their circumstances, and to minimise the risk and impact of illness.
School attainment and health are closely linked. Children and young people flourish in a positive environment where physical and emotional health is actively promoted within a whole-school approach involving parents / carers, governors, staff and students.
Working with public health and wider health and wellbeing providers to promote the health of pupils, including through supporting child measurement and screening can be an important way of demonstrating your focus on student health and wellbeing and can contribute to a school where students are happy to attend and learn. This then has the potential to impact positively on an Ofsted inspection.Children’s health and wellbeing is an important issue and will continue to be monitored as part of the common inspection framework.
Why choose us?
Public Health and our provider services;
- Know and understand Walsall and the health needs of children and young people
- Can support links into the health and wellbeing services
- Will work directly with schools and early year’s settings to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone including parents and carers, school staff, children and young people.
- Use feedback from the school community and specially developed Walsall school health profiles to identify health and wellbeing priorities for each school.Public Health commission services to work directly with schools to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone including parents and carers, school staff, children and young people.
We will work in partnership to deliver or support programmes on;
- Redeveloped ‘ Healthy Schools’ Model (launching autumn 2017) which will offer a menu of services based on locality priorities to support the health of pupils, their families and school staff
- Healthy diet and nutrition – support for a whole school approach to healthy eating and understanding of food
- Physical activity – Support to ensure safe travel to school and promotion of physical activity as part of the school day
- Substance misuse – Access to drug and alcohol screening tool and referrals for 1:1 support. Targeted group support
- Smoking and tobacco use – information around the impact of tobacco use
- Sexual health, teenage pregnancy, healthy relationships – Information and access to support in school. Teens and Toddlers programme for vulnerable young people
- Emotional health and wellbeing – access to national resources and bespoke training programmes for teachers. Targeted group support
- Accident prevention
- Infection Control – advice and support
- Managing long term conditions – training and support for the school through the School Nursing service
Our work will support the Ofsted Inspection Framework, complement the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) programme of study for schools, and support the implementation of the Early Help Strategy.
Find Out More
Vikki Tolley
Children’s Health and Wellbeing Officer (Healthy Weight / Oral Health / Healthy Schools)
Vikki.tolley@walsall.gov.uk
Tel: 01922 653750
Twitter: @phwalsall
This briefing offers head teachers, governors and school staff a summary of the key evidence that highlights thelink between health and wellbeing and educational attainment. It underlines the value for schools of promoting health and wellbeing as an integral part of a school effectiveness strategy, and highlights the important contribution of a whole-school approach.
