What is a Health Promoting School?
Healthier students have better learning outcomes, so it’s important to consider the conditions that affect health. A school is a unique setting that can have a strong influence on the health of students. School settings can influence factors such as healthy food, promoting physical activity, maintaining good mental wellness, and establishing healthy relationships with others.
How is student health supported in a Health Promoting School?
A Health Promoting School approach is based on the Comprehensive School Health framework. The framework supports improvement in students’ educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrated and holistic way. The framework consists of four interrelated pillars: school policy, physical & social environments, teaching & learning, and community partnerships & services.
OPHEA Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Video Link
| When We Say | We Mean |
| Social and physical environment | The social environment is the quality of the relationships among and between school staff and students, and the emotional well-being of students. For example, healthy schools have warm and caring relationships among students and staff, and do not tolerate bullying. |
| Teaching and learning | The physical environment includes the buildings, grounds, play space, and equipment in and surrounding the school. For example, school facilities and activities are safe and accessible for everyone. |
| Partnerships and services | Both formal instruction, and informal learning, such as having school staff model healthy behaviours for students. |
| Healthy school policy | These link the school to the broader community, enhancing the range of supports and opportunities available to students, parents, educators and others |
| Management practices, decision-making processes, rules, procedures and policies at all levels that promote health and wellbeing and shape a respectful, welcoming and caring school environment. They can include everything from guidelines for physical activity. and food sales, to rules regarding conduct, to frameworks for engaging community partners. |
Health Promoting Schools in Our Region
Our Regional Centre for Education works in partnership with education, health and other sectors to support healthy school communities.
Examples of SSRCE health promoting schools initiatives in our region:
South Shore School Food Project
Nourish Your Roots Farm-to-School Fundraiser
Health Promoting Schools Contact
Sarah Murphy
School Health Promoter
902-521-7363
Sarah.Murphy@nshealth.ca