Thirty-four Bromley schools have achieved awards for teaching children about the importance of healthy eating, regular physical activity and emotional health and wellbeing, as part of the Mayor’s Healthy Schools London (HSL) programme.
The Deputy Mayor of London Victoria Borwick praised the schools for their efforts during the awards ceremony held at St Philomena’s CP School in Orpington today, Tuesday 7th October. Healthy Schools London (HSL), which is funded by the Mayor Boris Johnson, supports and recognises schools’ achievements in pupil health and wellbeing. More than 1,000 schools across the capital have already signed up to the scheme including 60 in Bromley.
The three schools that have achieved their Silver Awards have introduced a range of different activities. These include increasing the uptake of school meals and making meal times sociable and interactive; increasing children’s participation in physical activity by introducing lunchtime competitions; improving children’s emotional health and wellbeing by bringing children together in a Lego club so they can play and communicate whilst doing an activity they enjoy.
Deputy Mayor Victoria Borwick said: “It’s an excellent achievement for 34 local schools to have achieved Healthy Schools London awards and the pupils and teachers should all feel very proud of themselves. Teaching children about healthy and happy living while they are young is vital as it enables them to develop skills that will help set them up for life.”
Following the awards ceremony, the Deputy Mayor had the opportunity to take a tour of Philomena’s to see firsthand what the school is doing to promote healthy living through its fruit and vegetable garden, outside climbing apparatus and playground.
List of schools who have achieved awards:
Silver Awards
Biggin Hill Primary School
Highfield Infants School
St Joseph's RC Primary School
Bronze Awards
Alexandra Infant School
Alexandra Junior School
Balgowan Primary
Bromley Road Infant School
Chelsfield Primary School
Darrick Wood Infant School
Darrick Wood Junior School
Darrick Wood School (Secondary)
Glebe school
Harris Academy Beckenham
Hawes Down Junior School
Hayes Primary School
Keston CE Primary School
Leesons Primary School
Marjorie McClure Specialist School
Midfield Primary School
Newstead Wood School
Perry Hall Primary School
Poverest Primary School
Pratts Bottom Primary School
Princes Plain Primary School
Red Hill Primary School
Scotts Park Primary School
Southborough Primary School
St Mark's C E Primary School
St Mary's Catholic Primary School
St Philomena's CP School
St Vincent's Catholic Primary
St. James' RC Primary School Academy Trust
The Priory School
Worsley Bridge Primary School
Notes to editors
Healthy Schools London is one of several mayoral backed initiatives and programmes aimed at tackling obesity and improving health for people of all ages in London. These include:
- Getting more Londoners cycling, including one billion pounds recently announced to boost cycling in the capital, including an east-west 'Crossrail for the bike', a new network of 'quietways' and works to improve safety at key junctions;
- The Sporting Legacy programme has resulted in £40 million being invested to upgrade local facilities and increase opportunities for Londoners across the capital to participate in sport and physical activity;
- The Takeaways Toolkit, which deals provides a framework for dealing with the proliferation of fast food shops;
- Public realm improvements large and small, from the Queen Elizabeth Park to pocket parks around the city, offering green spaces for formal and informal activity from walking to cycling to organised sport.
Healthy Schools London (www.healthyschoolslondon.org.uk) uses a whole school approach to improve health and wellbeing. It supports and recognises school achievements in pupil health and wellbeing. Healthy Schools London focuses on the whole child and gives schools a framework for their activity with pupils, staff and the wider community. HSL encourages work around
- Emotional health and wellbeing
- Physical activity
- Healthy eating
- Personal Social Health & Economic Education (PSHEE)
Obesity statistics for London schoolchildren: Recent statistics for London found that between 2012 and 2013, 23 per cent of children in reception class (aged 4 – 5 years) were overweight or obese, and 37 per cent of Year 6 children (aged 10 – 11 years) were overweight or obese. HSL aims to help reduce childhood obesity in the capital by encouraging schools to work with children from aged four to when they leave, to teach them about the importance of being healthy.