Yorkshire Coast Schools Celebrate Healthy Schools Status

Six more primary schools in North Yorkshire are celebrating after being recognised for their commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles at an event near Whitby.

Dozens of children attended a day of workshops at East Barnby Outdoor Education Centre near Whitby to honour the efforts of school communities improving the health, wellbeing and resilience of their pupils as part of North Yorkshire Council's Healthy Schools Programme.

Children from

• Oakbridge Community Primary School in Hinderwell, near Whitby,
• Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre Church of England Primary School in Hawsker,
• Lealholm Primary School near Whitby,
• Hertford Vale Church of England Primary School in Scarborough,
• All Saints Church of England Primary School in Harrogate
• and Fylingdales Church of England Primary School near Whitby

are working towards their bronze, silver or gold Healthy Schools status organised by North Yorkshire Council.

They have to meet criteria across four themes - active lives, food in schools, emotional health and wellbeing, and personal, social and health education.

The children and their peers undertook actions such as improving school dinners, setting up staff and pupil wellbeing champions and increasing ways to be active during the school day.

These themes formed the basis of workshops at the celebration day, when Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre and Fylingdales primary schools received the gold award and Hertford Vale Church of England Primary School was given the silver award.

North Yorkshire Council's executive member for health and adult services, Cllr Michael Harrison, said:

"It is encouraging to see the work that is under way in our schools in developing healthy pupils and staff.

"The award promotes being healthy both physically, through the food you eat and how active you are, and emotionally, by learning how to look after your mind as well as your body. Being healthy helps you achieve at school and enjoy life to the full."

Now in its fifth year, North Yorkshire's Healthy Schools Programme has grown from strength-to-strength and now boasts 270 schools from across the county taking part and more than 140 sites that have achieved a Healthy Schools award.

At the most recent pupil event, hands-on activities, being active in the outdoors with a campfire and educational sessions with the East Barnby team were on offer, as well as learning about healthy eating with the council's catering school meals team.

In addition, pupils joined a health and wellbeing service, Compass Phoenix, to create "happiness boxes" decorating them with stickers and designs that they chose as a place to go to when they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, sad or worried.

They chose from some small toys and gifts to put inside them and were encouraged to add something special to them when they arrived home. The awards were presented by North Yorkshire Council's director of public health, Louise Wallace.

She said:

"Congratulations to all schools and pupils receiving the awards for their commitment to helping raise healthy and happy children.

"This successful initiative is a great opportunity for the whole school communities to get involved in promoting health and wellbeing. It was an honour to present schools with their healthy schools certificates, which they have worked so hard to achieve."

North Yorkshire Council's young person's champion, Cllr Alyson Baker, also presented the awards and joined schools at the event. She said:

"Working towards an awards scheme like this provides opportunities for children and young people to make healthier choices and I'm glad to see hundreds of schools taking part in our Healthy Schools Programme."

"Recently we have joined with York so that now all York schools can take part in the initiative and spread the message far and wide across Yorkshire."

Schools in North Yorkshire and York wishing to sign up to the Healthy Schools Awards Programme can find out more information at https://www.healthyschoolsnorthyorks.org/