Healthy Living Policy

Aims:

Our school aims to provide a supportive environment for learning and health. Health is defined in its broadest sense as social, emotional, spiritual, cognitive and physical health. All these dimensions are interconnected and are influenced by the environment in which we live, work and learn. In our school this requires a whole school approach involving students, staff, parents and the wider community.

Objectives:

1. To ensure that the food supplied in the school environment promotes the adoption of healthy eating habits.
2. To increase physical activity opportunities for all students in our school.
3. To create education, communication and promotional programs to facilitate the adoption of sustainable healthy living habits.
4. To mobilize the different school and community partners to undertake comprehensive, concerted actions that support the adoption of healthy eating and active living habits.
5. To ensure programs around the area of mental health are developed and implemented.

Principles:

It has been shown that key transitions in a young person’s life impact their general health later in life. School is one of those key transitions and the school environment must promote the adoption of healthy eating, wellness and active living habits. Acting simultaneously on diet and physical activity maximizes positive effects on the health of young people. Complement this with a healthy mental health program and the school environment should be primed for learning and enjoyment. The situation and circumstances specific to each environment (e.g. existing initiatives, the socioeconomic situation, cultural groups and available resources) must be taken into account.

The school environment is an essential factor to consider when planning measures to encourage healthy lifestyles. The orientations described below aim to improve this environment in order to modify and sustain healthy living habits. The orientations will be translated into concrete actions that can promote the adoption and long-term maintenance of healthy living.

Orientations:

1. Offer a variety of foods and give priority to foods of good nutritional value.
2. Eliminate foods of low nutritional value from all school food supplies.
3. Provide appropriate areas and favourable conditions for meals.
4. Make sure the eating areas are safe at all times.
5. Make lunchtime an enjoyable part of the school day by ensuring eating areas are pleasant and inviting.
6. Implement a Healthy Living module for senior students where nutrition is one of the main focuses.
7. Increase physical activity opportunities and extra curricular activities.
   1. Offer a wider range of recreational activities.
   2. Make PE compulsory for senior students if timetabling constraints allow.
   3. Offer activities that meet students’ varied interests and abilities.
   4. Offer activities that focus on games and the pleasure of being physically active.
8. Implement educational and promotional activities that foster healthy living e.g. SPHE and RSE lessons, healthy living module for senior students, Wellbeing module in reformed Junior Cert.
9. Make all educators aware of the importance of promoting attitudes and behaviours that are essential for the adoption of healthy living habits.
10. Conduct regular activities to promote the adoption of healthy living habits (e.g. active week, healthy eating week, mental health week, sponsored run or walk etc.)
11. Periodically provide information on initiatives to parents and the community so that they can support the school’s efforts to ensure continuity.
    1. Post messages on the school website, app or twitter account.
    2. Include a special section in the School Journal.
    3. Publish articles in local newspapers.
    4. Hand out brochures published by government ministries such as the Department of Health and other organisations relating to healthy lifestyle issues.
    5. Distribute newsletters on a regular basis.

Other related policies:

Pastoral Care Policy, Bullying Policy

Review Procedure:

The policy will be reviewed on a regular basis. The review team will comprise the Principal, Deputy Principal, Care team and other interested teachers.