What is the Health Promoting Schools initiative?

The Health Promoting Schools initiative aims to enable schools to provide an environment where the physical and mental well being, health and safety of staff and pupils are supported, in partnership with family, community and external agencies.

It also aims to support schools in developing good practice in the development of policies, practices and structures that will underpin and facilitate a sustainable health promotion programme. The whole school is involved in the process and it features work in the three key areas:

• the ethos and environment of the school;
• the quality of teaching and learning in health-related areas of the curriculum;
• links with the family, community and other agencies for health.

The Health Promoting Schools initiative is supported by the Department of Health, Social Service sand Public Safety and the Department of Education.

Please choose one of the following to continue the introduction to Health Promoting Schools:

What is the background to this initiative

Investing for Health

Criteria for a Health Promoting School

A Health Promoting School Process