Evaluating healthy schools: perceptions of impact among school-based respondents.
Schools are important settings in which to promote children's and young people's physical and emotional health. An evaluation of the National Healthy School Standard in England showed that education and health professionals have implemented a range of projects and activities to improve pupils' health. Although these were generally well received by parents and pupils, they were not uncritical of them. Perceptions of the value of health-related work were influenced by the contextual characteristics of schools--whether primary or secondary, the quality of social relationships, the quality of teaching, and the extent of pupil and parental involvement in the life of the school. With local responsibilities for children's services in England being reorganized in response to the Green Paper, Every Child Matters: Next Steps, there are new opportunities to develop a coherent set of outcome measures that pay due regard to pupils' and parents' views, and which inform collaborative reviews of healthy school programmes, in particular, and local services, more generally.
Warwick
Ian
I
Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London, London, WC1H 0AA, UK.
Aggleton
Peter
P
Chase
Elaine
E
Schagen
Sandie
S
Blenkinsop
Sarah
S
Schagen
Ian
I
Scott
Emma
E
Eggers
Michelle
M
D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D004739:England; D006293:Health Promotion; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology