Your role in health promoting schools
Schools all over Scotland are working towards becoming a health promoting school as described in the national framework document 
PDF file: Being Well – Doing Well (1033KB). In doing so they will seek to develop partnerships with parents.
It is clear that the health and well-being of children and young people are the responsibility of a network of partners that includes pupils themselves, staff, parents, carers, extended families, the wider communities within which schools and families operate and, not least, the health and social services.
Each partner in this extensive network has an important role to play. Some of the ways in which parents and carers can contribute are outlined below.
The PDF file: Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 makes further provision for the involvement of parents in their children’s education and in school education generally. The act recognises the vital role parents play in their children’s education and aims to make it easier for them to become involved.
The Parentzone website has a Parental Involvement Act section with more information.
There is considerable agreement that parental involvement in education has a positive influence on children’s learning. By working closely together, schools and parents can develop children’s attitudes to learning and ensure that children achieve their full potential. Effective parental involvement provides teachers with a clearer understanding of children’s home circumstances and personal achievements and increases parents' understanding of what children are learning, how well they are achieving and how parents can support learning in the home environment. Clear channels of communication will ensure that the school and parents can respond quickly and effectively to emerging issues and concerns.
PDF file: Partnership with Parents, (HMIE, 2006)
The importance of home–school links
It is becoming clear from research that pupils whose parents play an active role in supporting their general education and, in particular, their health and well-being have a better chance of achieving their full personal, social and educational potential. Parents who work in partnership with schools can make a vital contribution to the well-being and achievement of their children and to the effectiveness of the school as a whole, thereby helping development in the wider community.
Parents and the wider family circle have enormous influence upon the health and well-being of children and young people. It is difficult to overestimate the importance that the advice and example given in the family setting have on the attitudes of young people towards healthy living and their consequent health behaviours.
When parents work in partnership with schools in relation to health promotion, children and young people:
- can be given clear and consistent messages that they are valued as individuals and that their health and well-being are important to both their parents and the school
- feel that they are supported in their efforts to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle
- learn that good health involves working in partnership with a range of different people
- learn about the importance of participation.
When parents work in partnership with schools in relation to health promotion they:
- receive advice and support in promoting the health and well-being of their children, especially in relation to sensitive issues such as drug and sex education
- become aware that their children's health and well-being can be a responsibility shared with a network of people
- can contribute their skills and experiences
- learn more about their children’s skills and experiences
- gain satisfaction from making a contribution to the life and work of the school.
The importance of school-community links
When the wider community works in partnership with schools in relation to health promotion it can help the community to:
- understand that partnership, with the support and active involvement of local people, services and employers, is valued by the school and is vital to the health and well-being of pupils, staff and parents and all members of the community
- understand that community involvement is a vital element in improving and maintaining the effectiveness of the school
- be enriched through creating a sense of community interest and ownership of the school
- benefit from using the school as a venue for social, sporting and educational activities in the evenings and at weekends, such as pupil breakfast clubs, after-school programmes and various school-based community projects.
Useful websites
- Sure Start Scotland
Support for pre-school children. - Parentzone
Advice for parents to help support their child's education. - School meals
Information about school meals in Scotland. - British Nutrition Foundation
Features on food and nutrition, with a special section on education. - Anti-Bullying Network
Provides support for school staff, children and young people and families to tackle bullying. - Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children
Health information from an international survey.
