Health Promoting Schools Unit

Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit (SHPSU) offers strategic leadership for the health promoting schools in Scotland through working closely with national agencies, and other national and regional bodies. To do this the Unit has adopted a facilitative style of working; engaging partners at all levels enabling them to take responsibility for key aspects of the work. 

The national context in education and health is particularly supportive of the agenda, through the work of SHPSU and the strategic partnership, health promoting school principles and practices are now embedded in aspects of a schools journey towards excellence (Ambitious, excellent schools, 2005, The Journey to Excellence, HMIE 2006).

Another significant development, in terms of mainstreaming the agenda is the phased introduction of Curriculum for Excellence.  The revised curriculum incorporates health and wellbeing in a number of ways: as a curricular area in its own right, embedded across all areas and levels of the curriculum 3-18; as a priority area to be considered, alongside literacy and numeracy when planning learning experiences; and as a responsibility for all staff who work in schools.  

The Scottish Parliament introduced new legislation, Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007, placing a duty on Local Authorities to endeavour to ensure their educational establishments are health promoting. This exciting development secures ongoing commitment to the agenda. 

A priority for the SHPSU is to support coherent thinking across important areas of work and ensure alignment with current approaches to HPS; in particular ensuring mental health, physical activity and food and health are taken forward within the context of a generic approach to health promotion.

Website

The Health Promoting Schools website is part of the LTS Online service.