We have recently received confirmation that we have retained Enhanced Healthy School status for 2023. Please read the letter we received from Andrea Eadsforth from Rochdale Council which was sent to us with our certificate. 

Dear Rebecca,
Many thanks for submitting your report for the Enhanced Healthy Schools Status. The report is very
interesting and informative, showing the difference that you have made to your pupils, increasing their
understanding of the importance of developing a ‘Healthy Mind’.

Your project aim was to:

• Increase children’s understanding of wellbeing through their understanding of giving themselves time in the day to reflect on their well-being, understanding how to control their emotions and developing resilience.
• Enjoying life’s ‘wow’s and coping with life’s ‘ow’s’.
•  

The report highlights the positive impact following the intervention. It is positive to see that through the
Enhanced status work, pupils are now engaging more in reading for pleasure and attendance at the
book club has increased.

I loved the pupil quote:
“when Miss reads I get lost in the book and sometimes want to stay there.”

You have updated the school Behaviour policy with a focus on Restorative practice, recent behaviour
logs reflect the positive impact and the most recent Ofsted also noted the good behaviours around
school. Staff have also reported improved relationships with pupils.

The improved outdoor space has resulted in dedicated areas for both KS1 and KS2 pupils. The new
KS1 Bird Café and tree den has also encouraged imaginative play, supporting wellbeing and
happiness.

Creating the ‘Under my Love Umbrella’ space has encouraged pupil ownership of the quote of the
week- choosing positive quotes and having access to Wellbeing cards. Pupils have been making use
of the Worry monster and also producing props to support the stories.

You have introduced the Wellbeing Dominoes intervention and have reported short and long term
positive outcome for the pupils taking part with parents also reporting positively. Pupils requiring
further intervention have progressed on to the Lemonade project.

You have continued to encourage pupils to lead a healthy lifestyle. School continues to encourage the
walk to school scheme and has seen improved results month on month. Even during the Winter period
the pupils have been dedicated to collecting their badges.

Your school has signed up for the University of Manchester ‘Passport to Success project to support Y5
pupils with a social emotional learning intervention- I do look forward to hearing how the project goes.

The knowledge and skills which your pupils have gained through participating in the project should also help your pupils to understand the importance of maintaining good Mental health and awareness to develop their resilience in their life outside of school.

I have enclosed herewith your certificate. Please would you also thank all your staff for all of their hard work in developing the enhancement work in your school with your pupils

Yours faithfully,

Andrea Eadsforth

Healthy Schools Teaching & Learning Adviser

t St. John's we are extremely proud of our Healthy Schools status.  As a Healthy School we meet the criteria in four core areas. These criteria relate not only to the taught curriculum but also to the emotional, physical and learning environment that the school provides.  These areas are:

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)

Healthy Eating

Physical Activity

Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health (EWMH)

The core areas are separated here for the sake of clarity, but we address them all at the same time, as they are both interrelated and interdependent.

At St. John's we take a whole school approach in order to:

1. Develop an ethos and environment that supports learning and promotes the health and wellbeing of all
2. Engage, consult and encourage participation of all within the school community
3. Create an extremely effective school improvement mechanism which brings about and embeds cultural and behavioural change in schools

Further information on how we cover these areas can be found across our website

Healthy Eating

We have a nutritionally balanced school lunch menu and we encourage parents to provide healthy packed lunches.  Children drink water throughout the day.  Healthy Eating is also covered in the Curriculum.  

We have a rigorous programme of recording and monitoring allergy information and work with parents and healthy professionals to draw up care plans where appropriate.  For children with specific dietary needs we provide tailored menus to meet those needs.

Physical Activity

At St. John's we have a comprehensive PE Curriculum which is supported by extra curricular activity programme and additional Forest School sessions.  We encourage all children to take part in the extra curricular activities on offer and fund places for those children in receipt of pupil premium.   We ensure our extra curriculum activities are also accessible to any children with disabilities and additional support is provided.  Inter School competitions are organised frequently and the children relish the opportunity to take part in competitive  sports.  

We have recently introduced Playground Pals to enhance the games and activities on offer at play and lunch time.  Structured lunchtime groups are also provided for those children who need additional support at lunchtimes.

PSHCE- Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education 

Our PSHCE- Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (includes our RHE- Relationship and Health Education curriculum) provides key building blocks to support children’s understanding of developing a healthy body and mind, understanding what respectful relationships are, focusing on family and friendships whilst understanding and respecting people’s differences. SCARF provides a whole-school approach to help us teach children about five essential elements – Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, Friendship – all of which play a key role in preparing children to achieve their best, academically, and socially. It is important that our children understand that as they grow both their mind and bodies grow and change too, they need to be prepared for this and understand that it happens to everyone.

Well-being

At St. John's we have a committed approach the mental health and well-being of all our children and staff.  The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that: “in order to help their pupils succeed; schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy”. We do this through our PSHCE curriculum, wider curriculum areas and the work on Growth Mind-set and mindfulness. For more information about this have a look at our Well-being Policy and Well-being section under key information on this website. 

In order to achieve Enhanced Health School Status our wider thinking and planning around health and well-being for children and young people has been acknowledged.