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Essex Healthy Schools Programme

Page last updated: 05/04/2023

Healthy Schools Transformation

Essex Healthy Schools is a school health improvement strategy to better the health and wellbeing of children and young people. 

In September 2021 the new Essex Healthy Schools programme was launched. This approach allows schools to focus on the specific needs of their school community around 6 key expectations: trauma informed and trauma reducing practice, PSHE education, mental health and emotional wellbeing, physical activity, food and nutrition, and pupil voice. An annual awards ceremony is held to celebrate schools' achievements and showcase areas of best practice.

Each school has an allocated Healthy Schools Engagement Worker who will be on hand to offer support and advice. They will also undertake an annual Healthy Schools Profile Visit where schools will have the opportunity to share good practice and discuss any health and wellbeing concerns. Schools will be sent a completed Healthy Schools Profile document which will include a Healthy Schools offer of support if required. 

Further details of the Healthy Schools Programme can be found by on the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service website.​


Upcoming Training

Recent Updates

Healthy Schools Expectations

Below is a list of resources to help schools meet the Healthy School Expectations:

Trauma Informed and Trauma Reducing Practice

PSHE Education

  • Risk Avert - an award winning PSHE training and support programme. Empowering young people to make better choices. Risk Avert programmes are available free of charge to Essex schools. 

  • Essex Sexual Health Services - a free and confidential service available to people of all ages across Essex.

  • eC-C ard  - a scheme which provides young people aged 16-24 with access to free condoms. Available from a range of venues across Essex.

  • PSHE Association  - a national organisation providing free and paid for guidance, training, teaching resources and advice to teachers and PSHE leads.

  • Making your RSHE the best it can be – paid for webinars and resources for schools provided by the Sex Education Forum.

  • NSPCC offer relationship and sex education resources for schools.

  • Understanding Relationships and Health Education in your child's school - a parent's guide to understanding RSE in schools.

  • Ofsted Survey Report - evaluating strengths and weaknesses of PSHE education in England.

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

  • Mental Health UK have developed a range of free training for secondary school teaching staff. The training is based on their young people's programme Bloom, which supports the mental health and resilience of 14- to 18-year-olds.
  • Government Mental wellbeing resources for schools.
  • Anna Freud provide resources, training, information and advice for schools and further education settings on Mental Health topics.

Physical Activity

  • Active Essex- support and guidance to help enable schools to deliver and effective Physical Education and Schools Sports offer. 

  • Government Being active resources for schools.

Food and Nutrition

Pupil Voice

Additional Support for Schools

  • Is my child too ill for school? - NHS guide for parents.

  • Ofsted - the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. Responsible for inspecting and regulating services which care for children and young people. Also, those providing education and skills for learners of all ages. ​