Examples
If you have examples of activities and events related to promoting health and supporting parents and you would like to share these ideas or materials, please send us brief details. E-mail Celia Burn or send to Learning and Teaching Scotland, The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow, G2 8DU.
Healthy lifestyles
North Ayrshire family clubs
North Ayrshire primary schools have made health issues a focus of some of the meetings of their Family Learning Clubs (see examples from Out of school learning). They have covered ‘Beating the Blues’, ‘Potted Sports’, aerobics, cooking on a budget and healthy snacks.
What pupils say:
My mum and I had a great time at the Potted Sports. The blow football was funny.
David, Glencairn Primary
Potted Sports were a laugh watching your mum skip.
Lori, Glencairn Primary
I liked the ICT, Dodgieball, health quiz, rounders, crafts.
P3 pupil
What parents say:
We enjoyed the cookery, country dancing and computing the most.
We enjoyed the mini-golf, the challenge of the line-dancing and the meeting with other parents.
St Bartholomew’s Primary, Glasgow
St Bartholomew's Primary is currently working with parents to provide a ‘walking bus service’ to school. This encourages children to walk to school accompanied by at least two adults. The adults start the walk with the children and pick up others at agreed points along the way.
It encourages both healthy choices and also awareness of road safety. For more information see the Walking bus page of the Glasgow City Council website.
Arisaig Primary, Highland
Parents became involved in Improving School Dinners at Arisaig Primary School. They tested school lunches and took an interest in the nutritional value of the meals, which led to the school meals service changing its menus. As the school dinners improved more children opted to take them regularly.
As parents became more aware of the nutritional value of food, the content of packed lunches also improved. A local gardening firm approached the school to establish a school garden to grow fresh produce for use in school meals and for snacks.
A local trust fund gave financial support to get the whole thing off the ground with a little help from ‘Grounds for Learning’ whose grant helped make up the difference. Parents erected a shed to store the equipment.
What parents say:
The school garden is a great opportunity for the older members of the community to pass on their knowledge of gardening to the young ones in the spring.
Chair of school board
What pupils say:
The new garden will be a big improvement from the vegetable tubs but our tatties were brilliant anyway!
Healthy Castlemilk in partnership with Castlemilk High and St Margaret Mary’s Learning Communities
All nursery children on graduation from nursery get presented with a Healthy Castlemilk Bag. The bags, which have been designed and made locally, are the children’s first school bag. One of the key purposes of the bag is to make the transition to primary school easier for both children and parents.
The bag is for parents as much as it is for the children and contains information about local learning opportunities for adults. An important aspect is health promoting information for parents and how they can help their children make healthy choices, for example a locally produced cookbook about healthy eating on a budget, ideas for healthy snacks, an oral hygiene pack and a guide on accident prevention. There are, of course, fun materials for the children too, including a reading book to be read together with the parent and colouring materials, pencils and rulers.
Comments from parents and grandparents
This school bag is a brilliant idea, especially the Kipper (reading) book. It’s also saved me a lot of money on a bag.
A local mum
I think the information for parents about local services is as good as the stuff for the kids.
Grandparent
Dalkeith High, Midlothian
Dalkeith High has formed a Health Promoting Schools Support Group which brings together key school staff and representatives of partner agencies, for example members of the school management team, the school nurse and doctor, school catering managers and representatives from Hungry for Success, Active Schools, Healthy Respect, Drug Wise and Edinburgh Green Belt Trust.
There are also two parents and a pupil on the group. The parents and pupil are recognised as important sources of input and make valuable contributions. Developing a school health promotion policy is important so that the support group has an overview of all the health promotion activities in the school rather than each inititiative being taken forward in isolation.
The health promotion policy will allow the school to:- identify and develop a holistic approach to health promotion throughout the school
- identify targets for health promotion in the school
- ensure greater consistency of provision and approach
- provide means of communication
- inform staff, pupils and parents of the school position on key issues, its aims and practices
- inform and educate everyone about good practice
- comply with local and national requirements
- meet with monitoring or inspection requirements.
PDF file: Dalkeith High School promoting health policy (26 KB)
Word file: Dalkeith High School promoting health policy (52 KB)
What parents say:
I was amazed and delighted to discover what was actually happening to promote healthy living in the school. In particular I was interested to find out what was covered in PSE relating to drugs and sex education and how the school dealt with these more sensitive issues.
Parent in Health Promoting Support Group
Emotional and social well-being
St Mark's Primary, East Renfrewshire:
St. Mark's ethos is one of care, tolerance and respect for others. Pupils are involved in this through buddying and peer mediation, which encourages emotional and social well-being.
Buddying involves pairing P7 children with P2 and P6 children with P1. Throughout the year there are opportunities for buddies to get together and help each other.
Peer mediation is a service now available to all children in St. Mark’s. Twelve P7 children have been trained in mediation skills and provide an additional support system for pupils. Children can ask mediators for help if they fall out with their friends, feel left out or are worried about something.
Mediators will help pupils to find mutually acceptable solutions to problems without blaming or judging others. The school porch was decorated and furnished by the PTA for this purpose. The service is voluntary and each mediator has the support of an adult mentor. As well as helping others, mediators benefit by developing the interpersonal skills essential for the future.
What the pupils say:
Peer mediation
They help you to sort things out so wee arguments don’t become too big.
P4 child
You have to try and see the other person’s point of view.
P6 pupil
What the parents say:
Buddying
My daughter loved her buddy and I feel she really helped her to settle into school. She looked out for her in the playground or dining hall and partnered her into the hall for services and concerts. I feel she was particularly caring and I’d like her to know that and to know I appreciate all she did.
More case studies can be found on the Health Promoting Schools website.
'Making the difference' is produced by:
