International developments

For over 20 years the health promoting school has been recognised as enabling and encouraging effective approaches to help achieve significant improvements in health and educational achievement. 

The European Network of Health Promoting Schools (ENHPS) was created to support the Global School Health Initiative (GSHI) launched by the World Health Organization in 1995, which defines a health promoting school as:

one that constantly strengthens its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working.

The ENHPS is a strategic programme across Europe, supported by the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the World Health Organization. It seeks to integrate policy and practice of health promoting schools into the wider health and education sectors and works at school, national and international level.

More than 40 countries are members of the ENHPS and recognise the important role schools can play in improving the health of children, staff and the wider community, whether curriculum-based, through the school environment or through relationships with parents and the community.

The International Union for Health Promotion and Education also supports the work of WHO and operates through a number of regional offices. The union is devoted to advancing public health through health promotion and education. 

Council of Europe resolution

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe passed a resolution on healthy eating in schools in September 2005.

It recommends that countries:

• review food provision in schools to determine to what extent they comply with or are integral to a health promoting school approach
• consider the elaboration of national provisions and nutritional standards for food in schools which:
  • acknowledge the changing health situation and lifestyles of young people in Europe
  • take into account the good practice in European schools as demonstrated at the Forum on Eating at School
  • contribute to the promotion of young people's health
  • involve the pupils and all stakeholders in the process
  • are integrated into the health promoting school approach
  • have in-built systems of monitoring and evaluation 
• consider the development of assistance at national and regional level to support schools in adopting and implementing policies for healthy eating. 

Australia and New Zealand

There are many examples of effective practice in other countries. In Australia a great deal of health promoting schools work has been developed since the early 1980s. 

The Children's Health Development Foundation has created a very useful website that offers an overview of the Southern Australian model of health promotion and provides strategies and ideas about developing health promoting schools. 

New Zealand has been developing health promoting schools for the last 20 years and the approach is outlined on the New Zealand health promoting schools website.

United Kingdom

Scotland's UK counterparts have also been driving the health promoting school agenda forward. 

In England the Health Development Agency in conjunction with many partners, has created the National Healthy Schools Standard. The aim of the initiative is to assist schools to become healthy and effective, providing an environment that is conducive to health and encourages achievement. 

Wales has created an award scheme whereby councils are assessed in relation to their effectiveness in supporting and facilitating health promoting school development. 

Practical advice in relation to taking the Welsh model of health promoting schools forward is available on the Health.e.school website.