Abstract

Health promoting schools (HPSs) are school spaces which aspire to in everything they do or say, promote the health of the whole school community and place. This study provides a unique insight into a range of HPS activities and efforts occurring across a number of metropolitan primary schools, in Sydney, Australia. The general ethos or ‘intangible atmosphere’ was considered to be a particularly strong aspect of a space supportive of health promotion. All but a few schools demonstrated positive opportunities for improving social relations or connectedness, physical activity and sun protection. Additional features of a school space considered to be supportive of whole-school well-being included supportive policies and those acting to develop effective partnerships between school and home or community. The findings help provide a ‘snapshot’ that has been missing through the wider research of the extent to which various aspects of the HPS concept are exhibited in school spaces.