The Victorian Prevention and Health Promotion Achievement Program. Primary schools

Transcription

1 The Victorian Prevention and Health Promotion Achievement Program Primary schools

2 Improving outcomes for Victorian children and young people The Victorian Prevention and Health Promotion Achievement Program recognises the achievements 1. Healthy children learn better. There are many benefits to promoting health in schools, the simplest being that healthy children and young people learn better. The school environment can influence children and young people s, which has an impact on learning and development, including numeracy and literacy outcomes. of schools in promoting the of children and young people. 7. Be recognised. Participating schools will receive a certificate and an outdoor sign from the Victorian Government acknowledging their work in promoting. As benchmarks for each health priority area are reached, schools will receive health promotion icons to add to the sign. Great reasons to participate These icons can also be used by schools in their newsletters, website and other official communications to demonstrate their health promotion achievements to the wider community. 6. Select priorities and work at a pace that best suits the school.

3 2. Integrate existing work into a comprehensive strategy for school improvement. A comprehensive approach to health will support student engagement and. Schools can integrate health and strategies into their four year strategic and annual implementation plan. 3. Promote the health of the whole school children, young people, families and staff. 4. Receive guidelines, tools and support. Participating schools will receive step-by-step guidelines, tools and templates. They will be linked with local health professionals, organisations and programs to access additional support. 5. Work in partnership. Work with other schools and early years services to share ideas, experiences and resources.

4 What s involved? Schools will receive guidance to work through each step in a cycle of continuous planning, action and review that is illustrated below. Schools can work through health priorities simultaneously, at a pace that suits their needs. Once benchmarks for the health priorities have been met, the school can apply for recognition. Then they begin the cycle again, and the next two health priorities are selected, while continuing to monitor the health priorities that have already been focused on. The eight health priority areas are: Healthy eating and oral health Physical activity Mental health and Safe environments Sun protection Sexual health and Tobacco control Alcohol and other drug use Figure 1: Working through the cycle C E L E B R A T Review and reflect E Apply for recognition 8 Coordinate team 7 1 Alcohol and other drug use Safe environments C O O R 6 Put plan into action Sexual Healthy eating eating and oral health Sun protection Tobacco control Explore current practice and needs 2 D I N A T E T E E A 5 Develop a plan for C R Physical activity 4 Select two health priority areas Mental 3 Engage whole setting

5 The framework Jointly developed by the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Achievement Program reflects the Victorian Government s ongoing commitment to improving children and young people s. The Victorian Health Promoting Schools and Early Childhood Education and Care Services Framework is based on the World Health Organization s Health Promoting Schools model. It shows how schools can take a whole school approach to working towards meeting benchmarks for the health priority areas. Figure 2: Victorian Health Promoting Schools and Early Childhood Education and Care Services Framework These are six components that together represent a whole school approach to health promotion. The framework aligns with key learning and accountability structures. Healthy eating Each health priority area requires a whole school approach. VICTORIAN PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLBEING PLAN SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY AND IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK / SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK VICTORIAN ESSENTIAL LEARNING STANDARDS / VICTORIAN EARLY YEARS LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARDS Alcohol and other drug use Safe environments Healthy policies Sexual Community partnerships Healthy physical environment Sun protection Healthy eating eating and oral health young people, staff and families Engaging chldren, Healthy social environment Tobacco control Learning and skills Physical activity Mental

6 The components to a whole school approach are: Healthy policies Policies clearly articulate conditions and practices necessary to create a physical and social environment which promotes. Healthy physical environment The physical environment facilitates and encourages healthy choices and lifestyles, complementing the health messages taught in the curriculum. Healthy social environment Respect, fairness and equality is promoted and modelled, and a sense of belonging is fostered. Learning and skills Learning opportunities and experiences within the curriculum enable children and young people to gain knowledge and skills and take action to enhance. Engaging children, young people, staff and families Structures are established to engage children, young people, families and staff as active participants in the promotion of. Community partnerships Partnerships with local health professionals, services and the wider community enhance health promotion capacity and support children, young people and their families needs. A whole school approach requires coordinated action across the six components. A health promoting school supports the of children, young people, staff and families through learning, policies, creating a safe and healthy physical and social environment, and developing community links and partnerships. For example, to be recognised for achievements in the physical activity health priority area, schools would need to meet benchmarks for all of the components of the framework. This could involve: Developing a physical activity policy. Facilitating access to a range of environments and equipment for physical activity. Embedding physical activity into the school curriculum. Ensuring families and staff are positive role models for physical activity. Linking with local community partners to build the capacity of staff to support physical activity. How to participate It s simple! Complete and return the attached registration form. Send completed form to: Administration Coordinator, Achievement Program, Cancer Council Victoria, 1 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, VIC For more information please call , admin@achievementprogram.org.au or visit

7 Victorian Prevention and Health Promotion Achievement Program School Registration Form Please complete the following: Contact details School name: Key contact: Position/job title: School address: Town/suburb: Postcode: Phone number: ( ) Fax number: ( ) Contact Twitter account: Facebook page: Website: Type of School: Primary Secondary Special development Other (e.g. P-12) Government Catholic Independent DEECD region or diocese (if applicable): Local Government Area: Number of students: Number of classrooms/homerooms: Number of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students: Number of students from a culturally and linguistically diverse background: Please list other languages spoken by students: Questions In your school do you have: a team that plans and coordinates? Yes No a nominated person who coordinates or plays a lead role in? Yes No (Questions continued overleaf)

8 Who is actively involved in promoting in your school? Teachers/staff Yes No Not sure Students Yes No Not sure Families Yes No Not sure Wider community Yes No Not sure In some areas there are local health or community professionals who may be able to offer support in health and. Does your school work in partnership with any of the following? Community health (e.g. dietitian/health promotion officer) Yes No Not sure School nurse Yes No Not sure School focused youth service Yes No Not sure Other schools Yes No Not sure Other(s) please list: The Achievement Program encourages working in partnership with other local schools and early childhood services to share knowledge and reduce workloads. Please indicate if your school is interested in working in partnership with other local schools and services: Yes No Unsure How would you prefer to receive information? Post Online Achievement Program Membership Agreement As a member of the Achievement Program, our school is committed to becoming a health promoting school and will work towards meeting state benchmarks for health promotion using a whole school approach. I agree to the above statement on behalf of our school. Name Position Date Please forward completed form to: Administration Coordinator Achievement Program Cancer Council Victoria 1 Rathdowne St, Carlton VIC 3053 or Fax (03) admin@achievementprogram.org.au Privacy Cancer Council Victoria will maintain the confidentiality of information you provide while participating in the Achievement Program. Your information will not be shared in a public domain without your permission. However, we may disclose information to health professionals for the purpose of providing support, or provide non-identifying information to other parties, for reporting, research or evaluation purposes. We will take all reasonable steps to protect the privacy of your personal information. If you want to access or change any of the information you have supplied, please phone us on The Victorian Prevention and Health Promotion Achievement Program is a jointly funded initiative of the State Government of Victoria and the Australian Government.