Over a 1,000 schools in London - 40 per cent - have signed up to the Mayor’s Healthy Schools London (HSL) programme to improve pupils’ health and wellbeing, it was announced today at an awards ceremony in City Hall.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson set up the scheme to encourage young Londoners to eat more healthily, get more active, and ensure conditions are there to support the emotional wellbeing of youngsters in London’s schools. Primary and secondary schools across every borough have introduced initiatives including playing basketball, learning circus skills, introducing an anti-bullying charter, teaching cooking skills, behaviour incentive schemes and gardening clubs. Of the 1,000 schools already signed-up, 340 schools have achieved Bronze status, 39 Silver, and two Gold.
In London a third of 10-11 year olds and over a fifth of 4-5 year olds are currently overweight or obese. Recent research found that addressing all parts of the school environment is an effective way to improve a child’s health and that improving health enhances academic attainment[1].
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘We want all the capital’s schools to take part in this fantastic scheme that teaches young Londoners life-long lessons about fitness and health. Over a third of 10-11 year olds in London are obese and this needs to change. It’s vital that we teach children from as early an age as possible about the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise, which delivers academic dividends too. I encourage all schools to sign-up and help give London’s children the best start in life.’
Deputy Mayor Victoria Borwick said: ‘It is great that so many London schools are involved with this excellent programme. I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of the schools and have seen first-hand the brilliant work that's being done to educate children about healthier living.'
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor hosted a special awards ceremony at City Hall today, where they were joined by Myles Bremner, Director of the School Food Plan and physical activity expert, Professor Greg Whyte.
Healthy Schools London is one of a number of initiatives introduced by the Mayor to get Londoners of all ages eating more healthily and keeping active. He has championed London as the cycling capital of world and is ploughing £1bn into making London’s roads cycle-friendly, as well as working with Rosie Boycott the Chair of the London Food Board, the Department for Education and the Mayor’s Fund to transform the food environment in the capital.
Notes to editors
For full list of schools who have signed up please contact [email protected]
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) will use a whole school approach to improve health and wellbeing, increase access to healthy food throughout the school day, provide opportunities to be more physically active, and aims to reduce childhood obesity. Healthy Schools London will provide awards for schools to recognise work that they are doing around health and wellbeing and childhood obesity linked to five key themes:
- Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHEE);
- Healthy Eating;
- Physical Activity;
- Emotional health and wellbeing;
- School environment.