At Small Heath School we are committed to the Health and Well-Being of all our students. As part of a new drive for healthier meals we have introduced a new healthier low fat and salt menu, plus "Salad Stop" where students can beat the long dinner queues to buy healthier snacks.
The school has worked for a number of years encouraging pupils to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Since 2004 chocolate and sweets have been replaced with healthy alternatives and pupils have been encouraged to drink water during lessons to aid concentration.
Healthy School Reps play an important role in the school voicing pupil opinion and influencing change. Indeed, last year they were instrumental in the installation of a new water cooler. Also, the benches in Upper School were reconditioned in the summer term as a result of pupil requests. They also have a regular input into the dining hall menu and have helped to organise themed days where foods from around the world is served.
Parents are also encouraged to take an interest and participate in Healthy School initiatives. Their views are sought on a regular basis and they have also attended meetings. Last year a number of parents volunteered to help out with the Year 7 Health Day, giving them first hand experience of the activities pupils were taking part in. A group of parents also helped to tackle the problem of traffic congestion caused by parents picking up their children from school.
A number of Health Days and healthy focused activities have been organised to promote health awareness. The Food Bus, in association with the Food Standards Agency, has visited the school on a number of occasions. This involved pupils learning about different types of food and working with chefs on new and healthy recipes. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed this and continue to use the skills they learned both at home and in school.
Pupils have also taken part in First Aid sessions with the St John’s Ambulance where they were taught basic first aid and how to react in emergency situations. In addition to this, they have enjoyed self defence classes, lessons in circus skills and tag rugby. All of these were led by a professional from the relevant field.
The school also boasts an extensive extra curricular programme. In addition to the regular activities, pupils have the opportunity to experience abseiling, skiing, sailing and canoeing. They also have opportunities to participate in residential courses where they can learn orienteering and enjoy mountain biking. We also offer outward bound courses where pupils can acquire camping and survival skills.
The school also encourages its staff to stay healthy. We have an annual Well Being Day where staff are invited to spend the day at a local gym. There have also been a number of skiing holidays organised for staff. In addition to this there are staff sports teams who meet up on a regular basis.
