As we celebrate Highland as a vibrant place to live and learn in the Year of Culture, we also celebrate our strengths and successes in improving our health.
We know that schools have incorporated health and wellbeing as their core business and Health Promoting Schools principles and practice are very much now mainstreamed into the work of Highland schools. This was particularly evident during Healthy Highland Week in January 2007where many schools stated that ‘every week was a healthy week in their school’.
By the end of 2005, two years ahead of the Scottish Executive target, all Highland schools and learning centres had been accredited as being ‘Health Promoting.’ This achievement was recognised at national level when The Highland Council, Education, Culture and Sport Service in partnership with NHS Highland received a Scottish Education Award for ‘improving the lives of young people’. This achievement can be attributed to all the hard work and efforts of everyone in our school communities.
The Highland Council and NHS Highland in partnership have committed resources to ensure that all schools will be successfully re-accredited by the end of 2008.
In developing this second edition of the Highland Health Promoting Schools Guidance we have had the valuable opportunity of being able to reflect on successes, consolidate work started in previous years and focus on how we can all go on ‘making a difference.’ Toolkit 2 provides a way for all schools maintain their Health Promoting Schools status and show how they are making a difference.
The Highland Health Promoting Schools scheme is seen as a key element in the ‘Your Choice to Healthy Living’ initiative, which is a cornerstone of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Service Plan. The ‘Yourchoice’ initiative provides a framework for all agencies, and stakeholders to work together to improve health and advance communities well-being.
A copy of the Your Choice Implementation Plan 2007-08 can be downloaded from the Current Documents section.
For details of Your Choice to Healthy Living please see link located in the External Links section.
A copy of Guidance for Healthy Packed Lunches can be downloaded from the Current Documents section.
Contacts:-
Health Promoting Schools Manager
Louise Jones, Education, Culture and Sport Service
The Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX
e-mail: louise.jones@highland.gov.uk
Quality Improvement Officer
Dave McCartney, Education, Culture and Sport Service
The Highland Council, 13 Ardross Street, Inverness, IV3 5NT
Tel: 01463 663800
e-mail: dave.mccartney@highland.gov.uk
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