ADD2818 Healthy Schools London and Healthy Early Years London programmes 2026-27

1.1.    In June 2025 Mayoral Decision (MD) 3380 approved the delivery plan for the strategic programme, Supporting and Inspiring Young London (SIYL). This programme will contribute to the following core London-level outcomes: 

•    children and young Londoners achieve the health and learning outcomes they need to thrive at every stage of development

•    children and young Londoners have the positive opportunities needed to be successful

•    Londoners have the skills they need to improve their lives. 

1.2.    The SIYL delivery plan describes how the GLA will work to bridge the gap between opportunity and offer; and enhance young Londoners’ ability to access these opportunities. The Mayor will work across London to bring together key partners, all delivering for young Londoners. This includes directly commissioning key programmes to work on meeting the most acute of these opportunity gaps. It includes activity towards meeting the Mayor’s commitment to provide 250,000 positive opportunities for young Londoners during this Mayoral term. 

1.3.    MD3380 approved the establishment of the SIYL programme with the Assistant Director, Civil Society and Sport, as the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO). It also approved the delivery plan for the SIYL programme, including the resources allocated to it – namely, £527.8 million revenue funding across 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 (as set out in the delivery plan). MD3380 delegated authority to the Assistant Director, Civil Society and Sport, to approve the receipt of any additional funding from central government, or other sources, to expand or extend existing approved projects contained in the SIYL delivery plan, where the parameters of the project remain the same or similar, and after consulting with legal advisers and the GLA’s Chief Finance Officer, and having subsequently secured agreement from the Mayoral Delivery Board. MD3380 also approved (where not already covered by a delegation in an existing MD) the delegation of authority to the Assistant Director, Civil Society and Sport, to approve spend funded by the resources allocated to the delivery plan, or income under the terms set out in MD3380, for projects listed in paragraphs 1.18 and 1.19 of that MD.

1.4.    The project listed in paragraph 1.18 of MD3380, for which this Decision seeks spending approval, is delivery of the Healthy Schools, Healthy Early years programme, agreed under MD3197.

1.5.    As noted in paragraph 1.3 (above), MD3380 delegated authority to the Assistant Director, Civil Society and Sport, to expand or extend existing approved projects contained in the SIYL delivery plan, where the parameters of the project remain the same or similar. GLA budget has been secured for the 2026-27 financial year. It is therefore proposed that the Assistant Director, Civil Society and Sport, approves £100,000 spend to deliver the Healthy Schools, Healthy Early Years programme, listed at paragraph 1.18 of the SIYL delivery plan. This is so the GLA can deliver activity that supports the priorities set out in paragraph 1.2 (above). This work contributes to the objectives and expected outcomes of the SIYL delivery plan.
 

2.1.    Having completed a procurement exercise in accordance with the GLA Contracts and Funding Code, the GLA entered into a two-year contract (with an additional option for an extra year) with National Children’s Bureau (NCB), beginning on March 2024 and running until March 2026. Through this contract, NCB has delivered services including: 

•    managing operational delivery of the programmes
•    developing support networks 
•    working closely with the GLA to refresh the programmes in September 2025. 

A budget of £80,000 will be used to take up this option of one extra year. This is to continue the successful delivery of the programmes, and increase uptake across London boroughs – ensuring children across London are supported to live healthy lives. 

2.2.    A budget of £20,000 will be used to ensure the programme website is secure; and is running effectively to support London’s schools, settings and childminders to engage in the programmes. 
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), the Mayor and GLA must comply with the public sector equality duty and must have due regard to the need to:

•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act

•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not

•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2.    As set out in MD3380, activity within the SIYL programme will provide support to disadvantaged children and young Londoners. This includes young people with protected characteristics and those who are more vulnerable. The projects in the programme will particularly support certain disadvantaged groups – for example:

 
•    young people with special educational needs and disabilities
•    young refugees and asylum seekers
•    those who are socio-economically disadvantaged
•    Black, Asian and minority ethnic young Londoners
•    disabled young Londoners
•    young people with a social worker
•    young care leavers
•    those who are at risk of exclusion, or who have been excluded, from school or college. 

Careful consideration will be given to ensuring appropriate accessibility for the widest range of young people. This will include targeted engagement, where this is considered supportive. Young people’s voices and co-production will be used in planning, development and delivery, to maximise effectiveness. 
 

Key risks and issues

4.1.    The key risks, and mitigations, are listed in the table below:

4.2.    The programmes outlined in this decision support the following Mayoral strategies:

•    The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, as revised in the Mayor’s Equality Objectives (2022). This aims to remove the barriers preventing children and young Londoners from realising their potential now and in later life. 

•    The London Health Inequalities Strategy, the Mayor’s ten-year strategy to address unfair, systematic and completely avoidable differences in health between groups of people. This includes the key commitments Healthy Children (every London child has a healthy start in life) and Healthy Minds (all Londoners share in a city with the best mental health in the world). 

Impact assessments and consultations

4.3.    Extensive consultation took place with borough leads for Healthy Schools London and Healthy Early Years London, from April 2023 until May 2025. This insight has built on a review of the programme’s content, led by the Health Education partnership. This engagement has informed the updates to the programme to align them with regional and local priorities. Key stakeholders will continue to be consulted as we review the updated programme. 

Conflict of interest 

4.4.    There are no conflicts of interest arising from those involved in the drafting and clearance of this decision form. As and when individual conflicts of interest arise during the delivery of initiatives contained in the SIYL delivery plan, they will be handled in line with the GLA policy on registering and declaring interests.

5.1.    Approval is being sought for the expenditure totalling £100,000 in 2026-27 for the purposes of delivering the Healthy Schools London and Healthy Early Years London programmes that: 

•    bridge the gap between opportunity and offer
•    enhance young Londoners’ ability to access positive opportunities. 

This contributes to the objectives and expected outcomes of SIYL delivery plan approved by MD3380.

5.2.    The projects will be funded by the Healthy Schools London budget:

•    delivery of the programmes: £80,000 
•    website maintenance: £20,000.

5.3.    Funding for future financial years is subject to the annual budget-setting process and is subject to change. This expenditure of £100,000 in 2026-27 is planned in the 2026-27 budget, which is to be approved in March 2026.