Health Promotion & Alpine Primary Schools Health Professionals Forum, Melbourne 22nd November 2011

1. Health Promotion
&
Alpine Primary Schools
Health Professionals Forum, Melbourne 22nd November 2011

2. 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

3. 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

4. Action Plan

5. 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

7. Porepunkah Primary

9. 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

10. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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?)

18. 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