Primary School Health & Wellness Catalyst in Birmingham

The Health for Life programme promotes an ethos and environment which encourages a proactive approach to developing a healthy lifestyle. It aims to make a sustained and demonstrable improvement in healthy lifestyles across Birmingham, supporting primary schools in engaging their community in healthy active lifestyles and embedding the work in the school culture and curriculum to promote sustainability.

It is intended to increase pupils’ knowledge and skills and effect changes in healthy lifestyle attitudes and behaviour. A Celebration Event is held halfway through the implementation phase (around June) to share ideas, motivate participants, and showcase the programme to VIPs. At the end of the implementation phase, there is an Awards Ceremony to celebrate and recognise the work done by participants.

Around 12 schools are selected each year to take part in the programme for a period of four terms, receiving support to plan and implement the programme to suit their particular circumstances. A level of commitment is required from each school, as dropping out halfway through means the place cannot be offered to another school.

Services For Education recruits schools in the summer term to start the programme the following September. Information is sent out by email, post, and during an online briefing session to eligible schools.

With the help of a Services For Education Adviser, you will:

• Ascertain starting points and record them
• Get children involved to review current practice
• Complete online baseline surveys with pupils
• Complete a baseline audit of school practice
• Identify barriers and factors that hinder progress
• Develop ideas that will promote change
• Nominate a member of staff to attend the two funded training days
• Prepare an Action Plan that will structure and keep track of resources required, jobs, dates for completion, and success criteria

By the start of December, submit your action plan to the steering group for approval. This will trigger the first part of the grant (£3,500 to be paid in two stages).

With the help of your Services For Education Adviser, you will:

• Start to implement your Action Plan
• Engage the whole school community in progress and change
• Address all strands in a way to encourage engagement
• Collect evidence of impact (ongoing)

With the help of your Services For Education Adviser, you will:

• Continue with implementing your Action Plan
• Attend the celebration event in June to help share good ideas (compulsory)
• Take part in BBC Gardeners’ World wheelbarrow event (optional)
• Continue to engage the whole school community in progress and change
• Collect evidence of impact (ongoing)

With the help of your Services For Education Adviser, you will:

• Continue with implementing your Action Plan
• Continue to engage the whole school community in progress and change
• Take part in the ‘Cookathon’ (optional)
• Collect evidence of impact (ongoing)
• Repeat the online surveys with pupils
• Repeat the school audit
• Collate evidence of impact

You will:

• Continue with sustainable activities in your Action Plan
• Attend the Awards ceremony

During the Autumn and Spring term, there are four courses to be attended by an appropriate member of staff from each school.

The objective is to make a measurable increase in the amount of regular physical activity of pupils in order to promote a healthy lifestyle:

• Active play in school grounds
• Play leader training (and implementation) for pupils

The objective is to make a measurable improvement in the diet of school children through cooking and healthy eating activities:

• Development of a recipe book for use in schools and at home
• Making healthy soups, drinks, picnics, snack foods
• Cooking competitions between schools (with focus on healthy eating)
• Practical cooking lessons (with focus on healthy eating) with pupils
• Practical lessons on cooking through the ages (with focus on healthy eating)

The objective is to actively involve parents and families in promoting and adopting healthy, active lifestyles:

• Use of parent partnership workers
• Sharing of information through letters/emails/school website
• Train as walk leaders
• Family bike rides/family picnics
• Sending recipes home to cook as part of homework
• Sending seedlings home to grow at home

The programme supports Change4Life and offers a range of opportunities to encourage families towards leading healthier lifestyles and works in partnership with various organisations.

Health for Life is delivered in Primary and Nursery schools by Services for Education and the community programme is delivered by The Conservation Trust.