title: Are trainee teachers being adequately prepared to promote the health and well-being of school children? A survey of current practice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Teachers are a key part of the wider public health workforce in England. We conducted a survey to find out how they are trained for this role during their initial teacher education (ITE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2011 and 2012, we sent an online questionnaire to 220 ITE course managers and conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 19 course managers to explore issues in more depth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate to the questionnaire was 34% (n = 74). Although most of the course managers felt inclusion of health and well-being training in ITE was important, provision across courses was variable. Topics which are public health priorities [e.g. sex and relationships education (SRE) and drugs, alcohol and tobacco] were covered by fewer courses than other topics (e.g. child protection, emotional health and anti-bullying). Perceived barriers to training included lack of time and a belief that health and well-being were low priorities in educational policy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Not all of tomorrow's teachers are being adequately prepared for their role in helping to address public health priorities. Educational policy does not appear to be supporting the priorities of public health policy, and this is a key barrier to health promotion training in ITE. Keywords children, educational settings, health promotion.
authors.affiliation: Primary Care and Population Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dewhirst
authors.affiliation: Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pickett
authors.affiliation: Health Development Consulting Ltd, Waterlooville PO7 6HE, UK.
authors.forename: Viv
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Speller
authors.affiliation: Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.affiliation: Southampton Education School, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.affiliation: Childhood and Youth Research Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB11PT, UK.
authors.forename: Palo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Almond
authors.affiliation: Southampton Education School, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.affiliation: Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK.
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartwell
authors.affiliation: Primary Care and Population Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roderick
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005178:Faculty / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D012572:School Health Services / Q000592:standards; D012574:Schools / Q000592:standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom; D000078329:Workforce