HPS+framework

Home Health Promoting Schools Framework

Our ‘Step into Health’ Day conducted at Stanhope Primary school was based upon the Health Promoting Schools Framework with an underpinning message that a health promoting school is one that is constantly strengthening its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working. Health promoting schools communities make a positive contribution through the interrelationship of three important areas: curriculum, teaching and learning practices; school organisations, ethos and environment and partnerships & services. (AHPSA, 2005) Our ‘Step into Health’ Health Promotion Day was the central aspect linking together all the facets of the HPS Framework including: **//1. //****//Curriculum, Teaching and Learning//** Each session of the day was planned and implemented according to the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) and took into account both the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT) and Assessment and Reporting Advice. We also addressed the ‘curriculum, teaching and learning’ aspect by ensuring all students had input and active participation into each activity as well as providing activities that can be adapted, extended and integrated into many different subject areas including Health, English, Drama, Physical Education and Personal Development.
 * 1) Curriculum, teaching & learning.
 * 2) Organisation, ethos & learning.
 * 3) Partnerships & services.

o //Student centred learning// – All activities focused on inclusion and were suited to all learning styles. o //Planned sequential curriculum –// Vegetable garden, bean bags, hockey, skipping and step class. o //Experiential learning// – Vegetable garden, hockey, step class, skipping, bean bags, and orienteering. o //Pre-service and in-service training// – Materials received from donations were given to students and teachers including additional information on leading healthy lifestyles. o //Health topics integrated into other subjects// – Art, science, geography, health, and physical education were all integrated during the day.

As part of a successful ethos and environment in a school, it is important to provide students with a positive school environment that provides safety, security and support as well as promoting student well-being to facilitate learning. Our activities were developed with the future of the students in mind, which also included safety considerations, security within the school community, support from peers and teachers and a view to give the students a sense of belonging within the school community through their participation. Through following on with these activities and developing their own health promotion ideas the students will continue to develop an understanding of why and how to live a healthy lifestyle. o //Shade// – Hats and sunscreen. o //Clean// – All areas were checked for hazards prior to activities commencing and all students washed their hands before participating in the eating activity. o //Health promoting school policy// – we adhered to this and used it to guide and shape the activities we planned. o //Passive recreation areas// – by providing students with knowledge of other games and activities it gave them more options for engaging in passive recreation within the areas of the school they already had access to. o //Resource allocation for health// – we included areas of hygiene, positive mental health, oral health and provided resources and developed skills for maintaining these. o //Physical activity areas// – hockey, step class, orienteering, beanbags and skipping. o //Caring ethos underpins social interactions// – we developed or own policies for developing a caring, supportive and nurturing environment during the day while working within the schools own ethos and environment guidelines both specific and implied. o //Occupational health and safety// – Health and safety of all participants was a high priority. Risk management strategies were developed and risk assessments of activities were conducted constantly throughout the day. o //Respectful of diversity// – inclusion of all students/teachers. o //Based on social justice principles// – Socially accepted standards of conduct were upheld and all activities were fair and inclusive for all. We promoted equity and diversity on the day. o //Friendly waste disposal// – We used compost bins for lunch scraps and encouraged re-useable or washable materials for all activities where appropriate. o //Staff health and welfare// – Provided resources for staff mental and physical health promotion and encouraged staff to become involved in the activities and learn the skills for new activities and games.
 * // 2. School Organisation, Ethos and Environment //**

Partnerships worked in cooperation with several different healthy living corporations, to help promote healthy eating and living in various ways. The healthy activity day was advertised in the local newspaper and in the school newsletter in an attempt to involve parent and the community. Parents had the opportunity to attend the healthy activity day and watch their students participate in healthy eating and fun physical activity. Considering that the parents/guardians are the largest influence over a childs lifestyle our team endeavoured to involve them in the day and provide education and awareness about physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle.
 * // 3. Partnerships and Services //**

o //Local health services contribute to school health through: screening and immunisation, education of teachers and parents, expert advice on referral and policy development –// The students, teachers and community have developed a link with the sowing the seeds of wellbeing project. This has provided the school with professional contacts for school health and an avenue for developing policy. o //Community use of school facilities// – Vegetable garden, we harvested crops that were taken home by the students to be used at home and contributed to the school garden which is used for community events and by members of the local community. o //Alliances formed with health, welfare and local community agencies// – Project was run in conjunction with the sowing the seeds of wellbeing - a local community welfare project. o //School welfare services// – We used the schools already established goals of student welfare in terms of health and wellbeing to develop the project. o //School community members involved in initiation, development and implementation of school health policies and programs// – These were already completed by the school, therefore we linked our project to the existing policies. We were able to add to the schools garden program and resource collection.

Australian Health Promoting Schools Association (2005), accessed October 27, 2009 from []
 * __References__**

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