What is a health promoting school?

The health promoting school concept has been embedded in good practice for several years and is already in place in many schools across Scotland, Europe and beyond.

Scotland has been part of the European Network of Health Promoting Schools since 1993 and has made a significant contribution to the thinking within Europe and the World Health Organization.

In 1995, the World Health Organization set out a broad definition of health promoting schools, which is still relevant today:

A health promoting school is one in which all members of the school community work together to provide pupils with integrated and positive experiences and structures, which promote and protect their health. This includes both the formal and the informal curriculum in health, the creation of a safe and healthy school environment, the provision of appropriate health services and the involvement of the family and wider community in efforts to promote health.

The values that underlie health promoting schools are in keeping with the fundamental values expressed by the Scottish Parliament and support a vision that incorporates;

• wisdom – that seeks understanding and takes action to bring about improvement
• justice – that provides equality, participation and fairness of treatment for all
• compassion – that ensures concern, care and respect for oneself and others
• integrity – that ensures honesty, responsibility and good judgement.  

In the school context, these values establish the importance of creating an ethos of care, respect, participation, responsibility and fairness for all.

These values underlie the main aims of health promoting schools, which are:

• to promote the physical, social, spiritual, mental and emotional health and well-being of all pupils and staff
• to work with others in identifying and meeting the health needs of the whole school and its wider community.