Healthy Hillingdon is a specialist health promotion partnership run jointly by the London Borough of Hillingdon and Hillingdon PCT. It aims to build capacity for the promotion of health and the reduction of health inequalities in Hillingdon.

Specialist health promotion advisors, youth workers and counsellors work with statutory organisations, voluntary organizations and communities to build capacity for sustainable health promotion.

All staff are actively involved in the development of healthy public policy, strengthening community action and the creation of environments supportive of good health, one of these is schools.

Staff from the Healthy Hillingdon Schools' Team work with schools to develop healthy schools.

Other staff and projects that contribute to Healthy Hillingdon activities in schools include: Link (counselling) Life Education and The Pyramid Trust.

Why Healthy Schools?

There is strong evidence of a correlation between educational attainment and current and future health status:

"A child's school years and early adult life represent a critical stage of development, and education is a key influence. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have lower educational attainment... a predictor of both poorer job prospects and adult health. It is in school and in early adult life when patterns of behaviour are established which have a profound impact on health.

Reducing health inequalities and promoting social inclusion.
Health Development Agency, 2001

Schools have a key part to play in shaping the health agenda of young people. However, establishments that are healthy and promote health can also be a happier place to be in for all!!!

A National Healthy School Standard (NHSS) led by the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Health offers support for local programmes. The whole school approach to health development advocated by the NHSS is grounded in an extensive body of research into school effectiveness. The local Healthy Hillingdon Schools' Scheme (HHSS) encourages schools to engage in the healthy schools process and can act as a vehicle for school improvement. The local scheme was accredited to the national standard in April 2002.

What is a Healthy School?

A healthy school is a place that is:

• successful in helping pupils to do their best and build on their achievements
• committed to ongoing improvement for staff and pupils
• active in promoting physical and emotional health by providing accessible and relevant information and equipping pupils with the skills and attitudes to make informed decisions about their health
• aware of the importance of investing in health to assist in the process of raising pupils achievements and in improving standards
• developing both a physical and social environment that is conducive to learning and to a positive sense of health.

Healthy Hillingdon Schools Team

The Team works to ensure that statutory requirements for schools based health promotion in Hillingdon are met and facilitates evidence-based health promoting activities.

It does this by:

• Promoting the implementation of robust evidence based whole school/community approaches to the promotion of health
• roviding training, events and resources to disseminate good practice
• Etablishing pilot projects in areas of need
• Operating the Healthy Hillingdon Schools Scheme
• Establishing monitoring and evaluation processes that can inform the strategic development of health promotion for young people in Hillingdon

Current projects include:

• Peer support e.g. The Peer Participation Event
• The 'Buddy Bench' Scheme
• Development of drug policies.
• Hillingdon Wellbeing Pilot
• Seasons of Growth, Loss and Bereavement Project.
• Development of school councils
• Lifebus

The Schools Team consists of a health promotion adviser and a project officer whose role it is to promote health in schools, carry out project-based work and encourage schools to become involved in the Schools' Scheme.

We also work closely with the Food in schools team led by Sarah Durner and project officer for Healthy Eating Kaveeta Vaid.

Tessa Pike: PSHE and Emotional Health and Well-being,
T: 01895 556623 Email: tpike@hillingdon.gov.uk

Kathryn Wallace   Physical Activity
T: 01895 277138  E mail:  kwallace1@hillingdon.gov.uk

Sarah Durner Healthy Eating
T 01895 277137  E mail: sdurner@hillingdon.gov.uk

Kaveeta Vaid
T 01895 556421  E mail: kvaid@hillingdon.gov.uk

To contact the Team to learn more about the work they are involved in, please contact us via details give above.

Updated 3/09