Characteristics of Health Promoting School Spaces
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.