Health Promoting School

In 1995, the World Health Organization set out a broad definition of health promoting schools, which is still relevant today:    "A health promoting school is one in which all members of the school community work together to provide pupils with integrated and positive experiences and structures, which promote and protect their health. This includes both the formal and the informal curriculum in health, the creation of a safe and healthy school environment, the provision of appropriate health services and the involvement of the family and wider community in efforts to promote health." 

The values that underlie health promoting schools are in keeping with the fundamental values expressed by the Scottish Parliament and support a vision that incorporates; 

• wisdom – that seeks understanding and takes action to bring about improvement
• justice – that provides equality, participation and fairness of treatment for all
• compassion – that ensures concern, care and respect for oneself and others  
• integrity – that ensures honesty, responsibility and good judgement.     

In the context of Underbank, these values establish the importance of creating an ethos of care, respect, participation, responsibility and fairness for all.  These values underlie the main aims of health promoting schools, which are: 

• to promote the physical, social, spiritual, mental and emotional health and well-being of all pupils and staff
• to work with others in identifying and meeting the health needs of the whole school and its wider community.  

Health promotion in schools is not just about encouraging children and young people to eat well and to exercise; it encompasses a much broader holistic approach. This approach is called the 'whole school approach', which includes promoting the physical, social, spiritual, mental and emotional wellbeing of all pupils and staff.  Schools in Scotland are working hard to have health promotion as an important aspect of their business.  The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) ( Scotland ) Act 2007 places a duty on local authorities to ensure that all of their schools are health promoting environments. 

One of the most important challenges for health promoting schools is to create an integrated approach while taking into account good local practice, national guidance and health promotion is also vital that the development of health promoting schools appears in local health improvement plans produced by community planners to deliver integrated services and many local authorities already have support structures and policy statements in place to help this process.   Another challenge is to recognise the good practice already going on in many schools across Scotland and to build on that progress and success. Some schools have been accredited as health promoting by their local authority or NHS board but it is important that good practice continues to be extended and improved.