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Encouraging Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in Primary Schools

Published: | Health Improvement

An updated Nutrition and Physical Activity Curriculum Pack is a one stop shop to help encourage healthy eating and physical activity in primary schools.

Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership’s (HSCP) Health Improvement Team worked with health and education colleagues across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) over the last year to update the ‘Your Body Matters (YBM): A Primary Health and Wellbeing Curriculum Pack’, for use in primary schools. The resource pack supports the implementation of a whole school approach to nutrition and physical activity.

A YBM Working Group carried out consultation and mapping activities across NHSGGC to gather feedback on the current pack and identify need for the update. The group engaged with topic experts including: Nourish Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Health Improvement Leads in Physical Activity and Nutrition, Primary, Secondary and Additional Support Needs(ASN) school teachers.

The updated pack is made up of Teacher Notes, Lesson Plans, Activities and Resources and makes links to learning around food waste and sustainability and body image and self-esteem, in relation to food, nutrition and physical activity.

The Your Body Matters resource pack will feature on the NHSGGC website and will be linked on the education intranet GLOW and the Health and Wellbeing (HWB) Education App and Website (Glasgow City) for teachers to access.

Mary Kate Harte, Health Improvement Senior, Glasgow City HSCP said: “It has been great to work in partnership with colleagues, education and topic experts on this project. It has helped us to develop a meaningful resource that acts as a one stop shop for all things concerning food, nutrition and physical activity in primary schools.” 

Fiona Young, Head Teacher, Ibrox Primary School said: “This is a resource pack that has been reviewed, improved and quality assured by teachers for teachers. As a head teacher I think this pack will effectively support progression through parts of the Health and Wellbeing curriculum. The resource pack will also ensure consistency in the language used to deliver lessons.”

Aimee Dale, Health Improvement Senior (Nutrition), NHSGGC said: “The review of the Your Body Matters resource pack, has been a very rewarding journey. It has allowed our relationships with education, external topic experts and colleagues to blossom, as well as ensuring the resource provides an all-encompassing whole school approach to food, nutrition and physical activity. NHSGGC would like to thank everyone who has been involved. We look forward to hearing how classrooms across Greater Glasgow and Clyde implement the new and improved Your Body Matters resource pack, and hope that children are encouraged to be more aware of their health and wellbeing.”

The Your Body Matters resource pack will be launched at an event at Ibrox Primary School in Glasgow on 24 May 2023. For more information on this work or to attend the launch event please get in touch with MaryKate.Harte@ggc.scot.nhs.uk or Aimee.Dale2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

There will be additional promotional events at the beginning of the new school term for 2023 to 2024.
 

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