Celebrating Health and Wellbeing in Calderdale Schools

The Healthy Schools Award is a co-designed initiative led by Calderdale’s Public Health Children and Young People (CYP) team. It’s a free, fully supported awards process that helps schools showcase and strengthen their commitment to pupil and staff wellbeing.

Schools complete an application process with supporting evidence in one of three key areas:

• Physical Activity

• Mental Health and Wellbeing

• Food and Nutrition

Schools are encouraged to take meaningful steps to improve health and wellbeing. These actions can include:

• Staff training and workshops

• Policy updates

• Resource development

• Whole-school initiatives

  
  

A key change introduced was closing a loophole to ensure that schools cannot achieve the Gold award in Physical Activity unless they are a Calderdale Active School (CAS).

This ensures consistency and quality across the borough, promoting and protecting physical activity opportunities for all pupils.

Outcomes and Impact

The Healthy Schools Award has helped embed a borough-wide, whole-school approach to health and wellbeing. It promotes benchmarked standards and encourages schools to work collaboratively and sustainably.

Key outcomes include:

• Development of a CAS refresher course for existing CAS schools

• 5 schools achieved Gold in Physical Activity, impacting:

  • Over 1,470 children and young people

  • Approximately 240 staff members

• Increased awareness and integration of physical activity into daily school life

• Strengthened relationships between schools, families, and local services

“Completing the Award to achieve Diamond status has made us realise how much we offer in school to support pupils and staff, particularly through being more active, and to value the impact this has.” - Daniel Moorhouse, CAS Lead, Copley School

“We have seen a huge benefit to our school of being involved in the Calderdale Active Schools programme this last year. Our children, parents and staff are healthier, happier and more supported because of it.” - Sarah Hemingway, Headteacher, Copley School

New Road Primary School receiving the first Healthy Schools Diamond Award from Deborah Harkins, Director of Public Health (right)

Looking Ahead

The Healthy Schools Award continues to evolve, supporting schools to:

• Audit and improve their health offer

• Embed physical activity and wellbeing into school culture

• Celebrate achievements and share best practices across Calderdale

  
  

This initiative is not just about recognition; it’s about creating lasting change that benefits pupils, staff, families, and the wider community.

Spotlight: BBC's Visit to New Road Primary School

Take a moment to watch the snippet below from the BBC's visit to New Road Primary School in 2024, acknowledging the commendable achievement of the Healthy Schools Award.

BBC Look North visit New Road Primary School to celebrate the Healthy Schools Award