Schools awarded for commitment to health and wellbeing

Schools from across the city are coming together to celebrate their commitment to health and wellbeing at a special celebration event next week.

Pupils from schools across Leeds will descend on the debating chamber at Leeds Civic Hall to receive awards for the Healthy Schools, Investors in Pupils and MindMate Champion programmes, as well as voting on their top health priorities for the city’s health.

Media opportunity

When: Friday 14^th July 2017 at 9.30am to 12.30pm

Where: Leeds Civic Hall, main council chamber

What: Members of the media are welcome to attend the Healthy Schools Celebration Event, which is being hosted by Leeds City Council’s Health and Wellbeing Service. Photography and filming opportunities will be available with pupils and staff and elected members.

Schools attending the event will receive certificates and plaques in recognition of their ongoing achievement and commitment to health and wellbeing. The event will also showcase some of the good work the schools have done over the year.

The Leeds Healthy Schools Status is awarded to schools which meet set criteria in four areas: Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), healthy eating, physical activity and Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH). The criteria includes having a lunch service that meets national standards, providing free drinking water, having a no-smoking policy and a clear anti-bullying policy.

Investors in Pupils ensures that young people have a voice and the opportunity to be involved in decisions that affect them in schools. Through building young people’s life skills, character and resilience, this established national quality mark facilitates consistent coordination, review and implementation in five key areas including; learning; induction; behaviour; attendance, including punctuality, and classroom management. The award also supports direct and active experience of democracy-in-action in schools, supporting the council's ambition to be a city where the voice of children influences the change they want to see in their city.

NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Groups and Northpoint Wellbeing are working in partnership with the council’s Health and Wellbeing service to help schools and settings improve their work around mental health through the MindMate Champion programme. This is an innovative piece of work, part of Future in Mind, which builds on the city’s impressive record of supporting health prevention work through sustained projects such as Healthy Schools and Targeted Mental Health in Schools. It brings health and education together to ensure work in this crucial area is a joint effort. Schools, children’s centres, Specialist Inclusive Learning Centres (SILCs) and colleges can become ‘MindMate Friendly’ by showing they are good or outstanding in ten different areas of work within their setting. To become a champion setting they must show they have improved in a Social, Emotional or Mental Health area of their choice.

Councillor Lisa Mulherin, executive member for children and families said:

“It is really important that schools play a leading role in helping pupils understand the importance of their own health and wellbeing and the impact it can have on their education as well as their life outside of school. By achieving healthy school status, Investors in Pupils or by becoming a Mindmate Champion these schools are demonstrating a commitment to their pupils and staff alike.

“All of the schools receiving awards at this event should be proud of their achievements and are shining examples of the great work being carried out in Leeds to provide our children and young people with the skills they need to thrive.”

As part of the event children and young people will also have the exciting opportunity to make use of the voting system within the council chamber, which the city’s councillors use to vote on important city-wide decisions. The children and young people will vote on what they think should be the top three health and wellbeing priorities for the city.