Schools can make a substantial contribution to young people's health and well-being, and subsequently in the adult life. A range of strategies and programmes (Health Promoting Schools, Comprehensive School Health, Child Friendly Schools and the FRESH initiative) that share a connecting thread of a Whole School Approach have evolved in the last twenty years, recognizing that all aspects of the life of the school community are potentially important in the promotion of health. This approach goes beyond health education classes in the curriculum and explores how schools can fulfill their potential in promoting the health of all our young people.

 

In the current context, it appears there is a developing understanding of the interlinked relationship between school education and health, reflected by the prominence given to school education in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the increasing need for equitable health in all settings.