Gracemount High School Health and Wellbeing Policy

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1 Gracemount High School Health and Wellbeing Policy Good health and wellbeing is central to effective learning and preparation for successful independent living 1

2 Health and Wellbeing across the Curriculum What are the main purposes of learning in Health and Wellbeing? At Gracemount High school we are committed to ensuring that all our pupils develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes which they need for mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing now and in the future. Learning through health and wellbeing enables children and young people to: Aims make informed decisions in order to improve their mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. experience positive aspects of healthy living and activity for themselves. apply their mental, emotional, social and physical skills to pursue a healthy lifestyle. establish a lifestyle of positive health and wellbeing which will be sustained into adult life, and which will help to promote the health and wellbeing of the next generation of Scottish children. Our aim is to: promote positive health and wellbeing for all pupils at Gracemount High School To do this, we will: Support the implementation and development of Health and Wellbeing across learning at Gracemount High School, in line with A Curriculum for Excellence. Provide practical guidance for staff, parents and pupils to use in the delivery of Health and Wellbeing. The policy should be used as a working document to inform and support. It can be used by individuals, department, in whole school contexts and by partner agencies to support self-reflection, department planning and in the monitoring and evaluation of Health and Wellbeing. The policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to reflect education developments, national and City of Edinburgh legislation and best practice. 2

3 What is Health and Wellbeing? Health and Wellbeing is about promoting positive, healthy attitudes and behaviours. However Health and Wellbeing across learning is not just about encouraging children and young people to eat well and exercise. At the heart of Health and Wellbeing is the capacity to form and sustain good personal, social and working relationships. Such relationships underpin successful learning. To achieve their potential, school children must participate fully in educational activities. To do this they must be healthy, attentive and emotionally secure (World Health Organisation 2000). Therefore, when children and young people have good relationships, they are likely to have greater self-esteem and confidence with regard to their learning, to show resilience when faced with personal challenges and to show respect for others. Health and Wellbeing experiences and outcomes provide opportunities for young people to develop their mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. These experiences should be embedded in all teaching and learning across both formal and informal curricula. Health and Wellbeing is organised in 6 areas: Mental, Emotional, Social and Physical Wellbeing. Planning for Choices and Changes. Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport. Food and Health. Substance Misuse. Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood. 3

4 Learning and Teaching Takes account of children and young peoples views and experiences. Ensures that pupils feel safe, and that nobody feels excluded or afraid in school. Uses a variety of approaches including active, cooperative and peer learning. Encourages new challenges in the outdoor environment. Effective Learning and Teaching in Health and Wellbeing Encourages children and young people to act as positive role models. Encourages the development of lifelong healthy lifestyles. Helps young people to understand the responsibilities of citizenship. Encourages inclusion and equality throughout the school. 4

5 Learning Environment The learning environment will enable pupils to: develop their self-awareness and self-worth. develop respect for one another and value diversity. meet challenges, manage change and build relationships. experience personal achievement and build resilience and confidence. understand and develop physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing and social skills. understand how what they eat, how active they are and how the decisions they make about their behaviour and relationships affect physical and mental wellbeing. participate in a wide range of activities which promote a healthy lifestyle. learn about where to find help and resources to inform choices. acknowledge diversity and understand that it is everyone s responsibility to challenge discrimination. 5

6 Roles and Responsibilities Good health and wellbeing is central to effective learning and preparation for successful lifelong health and wellbeing. This aspiration for all pupils can only be met if the Gracemount school community works closely together taking account of local circumstances and individual needs. The diagram below illustrates a shared vision. This will help each individual practitioner to be aware of their roles and responsibilities in developing lifelong health and wellbeing. 6

7 To achieve this shared vision there are a number of specialist roles and responsibilities: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport experiences and outcomes are delivered by the specialists in the Physical Education department and Active Schools. Substance Misuse, Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood experiences and outcomes are delivered by specialists in the support for pupils department along with visiting partnership agencies. Nutrition, Safe and Hygienic practices and Food and the Consumer experiences and outcomes are delivered by specialists in the Home Economics department. However It is the responsibility of every teacher to contribute to the learning and development of pupils health and wellbeing (building the curriculum 1) 7

8 Links and information sources for Staff For information and resources about health and well being: For information on health and well being and the curriculum for excellence: School Policies can be found at: Visit the GLOW web page for examples of examples of health and well being across the curriculum: 8