Health Promotion

&

Alpine Primary Schools

Health Professionals Forum, Melbourne 22nd November 2011

The beginning…

• Health Promotion Officer (5-12yrs)

• 0.6 EFT

• July 2009 start = 2.5 years

• Physical Activity & Healthy Eating focus

• Kids – ‘Go For Your Life’ as a strategy

• evidence-based resources

• offered structure and planning

• existing member schools

• local support shown to be beneficial to schools

Engaging Our Schools

• Contacted award school first for feedback, learnings, etc.

• Contacted 3 existing member schools (one by one)

• capacity, audit, partnership

• Getting Started section (3.1)

• Written invitation to remaining schools, visited some

• Ongoing contact - by phone 1–2 per term

- by email as appropriate

• Surveyed schools in December 2010

Action Plan

Porepunkah Primary

• Commenced - March 2009

• Awarded - November 2011

• No. of students - 104

• biggest challenge - time & Lunch Order Menu

• biggest strength - Sports Coordinator - champion

plus support staff

• Initiatives - Teachers Fitness Challenge

- Bright Autumn Festival float

- ‘Go for your life’ van

Porepunkah Primary

Tawonga Primary

• Commenced - March 2009

• Awarded - pending (December 2011)

• No. of students - 54

• biggest challenge - time, motivation & Active Travel

• biggest strength - enthusiastic new teachers x 2

• Initiatives - vegie garden

- ‘Go for your life’ van

Bright P-12 College

• Commenced - August 2010

• Awarded - pending (Dec 2011)

• No. of students - 208

• biggest challenge - time & engaging everyone!

• biggest strength - Action Team & Principal/Assistant

Principals support

• Initiatives - vegie garden & chooks

- ‘Go for your life’ van

July 2009 - December 2011

July 2009 Nov 2011 end Dec 2011

Member

schools 3 = 30% 10 = 100% 10 = 100%

Awarded

schools 1 = 10% 3 = 30% 7 = 70% *

* 4 Applications pending prior to end of December 2011

July 2009 - December 2011

July 2009 Nov 2011 end Dec 2011

Students

engaged 150 = 15% 840 = 87% 840 = 87%

HE & PA

Policies 1 = 10% 4 = 40% 7 = 70% *

Healthy

Canteens 1 = 14% 3 = 43% 5 = 71%

* 3 Policies in approval process currently

Challenges

• Time poor - teaching Principals, teachers & parents

• Full curriculum - competing priorities

• Very busy environment

• Overcoming obstacles - how, who, motivation to?

• Personal - big learning curve in this setting

- motivation in quieter times

Successes

Schools with;

- pre-existing health conscious community

- smaller numbers of students and a champion

- non-teaching, supportive school Principal

- no canteen or takeaway nearby

- champion within the school community and extra support!

Continue to keep building relationship

Confidence with program & resources

Overcoming obstacles

Key learnings

• Link benefits to numeracy & literacy

– highest priority for schools

• Schools are VERY busy! – don’t want to feel pressured, but appreciate the support

• Process may be VERY slow! – build their capacity & support them, don’t do it for them!

• With hindsight… – developed my knowledge of the Education sector

– strengthened efforts across Alpine LGA (pedometer challenge?)

Recommendations

• Develop partnership with Education Department

- strongly link health to numeracy & literacy

- funding opportunities/incentives to HP schools

• Develop partnerships with local councils

• Support

- local health professionals beneficial - funding/EFT

- Regional & State - coordinator support

- forums/gatherings

• Comprehensive resources

- effective but simple

- Health Professionals Toolkit – very helpful