independent Cornish news and comment

Cornwall Healthy Schools overwhelming success

The Cornwall Healthy Schools team, part of a national programme, are delighted after getting 200 of Cornwall's schools on board.
Despite being one of the biggest programmes, with over 300 schools to work with, the team have exceeded the national target of getting half of Cornwall’s schools taking part. The overall aim of the project is to get all Cornish schools accredited by December 2009 and the Cornish programme is well on the way to achieving this.

Kate Pordage, Cornwall Healthy Schools Programme Co-ordinator, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Cornwall’s schools are taking this issue seriously and getting involved. A Healthy School is one that promotes health and wellbeing of both its pupils and its staff. It does so using a well-planned, well-taught curriculum that is delivered in a physical and emotional environment that promotes learning and healthy lifestyle choices.”

To become a Healthy School a school needs to meet agreed criteria in four themed areas, including healthy eating, physical activity, emotional health and wellbeing and personal, social and health education.

Claire Fortey, Head teacher of St Francis School in Falmouth said: "Here at St Francis we have used the Healthy Schools initiative as a vehicle to come together as a family community to actively teach and promote the value of healthy living choices."

Another head teacher, Angela Palin of St Mellion, said: “Healthy Schools is important to us because our school aims state that we would want children to achieve the highest quality of teaching and learning to bring about high quality learning and secure high standards of attainment. There is a saying - healthy body, healthy mind - it seems like you need one to get the other, and the healthy Schools programme is enabling us to have a co-ordinated structured approach to achieving our aim.”

To find out more about the initiative, call the Cornwall Healthy Schools Team on 01209 310061.