Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Primary Schools

Food & Nutrition Guidelines for Primary Schools The Government has identified school children as one group to be given priority during the planning and delivery of programmes and initiatives for good health throughout life. In the Governmentâ?Ts National Health Promotion Strategy 2000/2005, the two major objectives for children are: Click here to download PDF 458kb

Food & Nutrition Guidelines for Primary Schools

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Review Of The Circumstances Surrounding The Elapse Of Time In Bringing To Completion The Western Health Board Inquiry Into Allegations Of Abuse In The Brothers Of Charity Services, Galway

Review Of The CircumstancesSurrounding The Elapse Of TimeIn Bringing To CompletionThe Western Health Board Inquiry IntoAllegations Of Abuse In The BrothersOf Charity Services, Galway Click here to download PDF 104kb

European Schools Survey Project on Alcohol and other drugs (ESPAD)

ESPAD is a collaborative effort of independent research teams in about forty European countries and the largest cross-national research project on adolescent substance use in the world. Data are collected every fourth year with 1995 as the starting point. The fourth data collection was carried out in 35 countries during the spring of 2007 and the results were published March 26, 2009 The overall purpose of the ESPAD project is to study adolescent substance use in Europe from a comparative and longitudinal perspective. The basic goal is to collect comparable data on the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs among students throughout European countries. Data should be collected in cooperation between countries using a strictly standardised methodology, in order to offer as comparable results as possible. In the long run the most important aim is to monitor the of trends of the adolescent substance use in European countries and to compare trends between countries. This includes the mapping of differences and the monitoring of trends for policy purposes as well as the scientific study of the context, predictors and consequences of adolescent substance use. In relation to the EU action plan on drugs and the WHO Europe declaration about young people and alcohol, ESPAD-data can provide information for the evaluation of these charters. It is intended to repeat the surveys every fourth year. All European countries are welcome to join the ESPAD study, in the effort of making the coverage across Europe as complete as possible. Click here to download PDF 2.1mb

School food: top marks - A summary report on food in schools research in Northern Ireland

Thisreport highlightsthe barriers that schools in Northern Ireland have experienced in implementing nutritional standards. In particular, it identifies the potential adverse impact that external sources of food may have on pupils’ healthy eating practices within the school setting. It also illustrates how the accessibility of food and drinks contradicting the standards, within the school, may limit the success of the standards. This report further emphasises how practical constraints within the school meals system, such as queues, can negatively influence pupils’ uptake of healthy foods. The report outlinesa number of recommendations to aid the implementation of the School food: top marks programme.

What is a serving size: A guide for pre-schools

This guide offers practical help to all those providing food for pre-school age children. It is a pictorial manual giving real life serving sizes to guide care-givers, parents and guardians on suitable size servings. This booklet also provides sound advice on family-style eating habits, the introduction of new foods and the environment which nurtures healthy eating habits for life. Establishing good lifestyle habits, including positive attitudes and behaviours around food is one of the key cornerstones to shaping future health. This starts during the pre-school years when children grow rapidly and begin to learn about the environment around them. Providing an environment that supports healthy eating both at home and at school is important. It is well recognised that gauging portion sizes for young children can besomewhat difficult; they need to be adequate without being excessive.

Building Children and Young People's Resilience in Schools

Evidence Review 2 - Building children and young people's resilience in schools Briefing 2 - Building children and young people's resilience in schools This pair of documents, commissioned by Public Health England, and written by the UCL Institute of Health Equity, address the role of schools in building children and young people’s resilience and capabilities. They provide a summary of evidence about the effect of resilience on health, the unequal distribution of resilience and its contribution to levels of health inequalities. The review outlines the potential actions that can be taken in schools in order to build resilience for all children and young people and reduce inequalities in resilience. Throughout, a social determinants approach to resilience is taken. Children and young people’s individual characteristics are seen as shaped by, and related to, inequities in power, money and resources, and the conditions in which they are born, grow, live, and in which they will work and age. Family and community resilience are highly significant and similarly shaped by wider social and economic factors. The full evidence review and a shorter summary briefing are available to download above. This document is part of a series. An overview document which provides an introduction to this and other documents in the series, and links to the other topic areas, is available on the ‘Local Action on health inequalities’ project page. A video of Michael Marmot introducing the work is also available on our videos page.

A Study of the Epidemiology of AIDS in Ireland and an Evaluation of an AIDS Education Programme in Second-level Schools

Second-level school students have been identified by the Minister for health as a priority group for education on AIDS. An education programme was accordingly initiated in 1988 in Community Care Area 1 in South county Dublin. This report evaluates this education intervention by means of pre- and post- intervention questionnaires. The questionnaire examined knowledge and attitudes of students relevant to AIDS. The results showed that the level of knowledge of students living in this area was high prior to intervention. The education programme succeeded in improving some aspects of knowledge and also influenced some attitudes of the students. A study of the epidemiology of Aids in Ireland reveals that the epidemic is at a relatively early stage with a consequent rapid doubling time of 9-10 months. In comparison with most developed countries Ireland has a high proportion of AIDS cases occurring among intravenous drug abusers and directly related to this a high number of HIV infected children. Examination of the literature reveals that behaviour change has occurred most noticeably among the homosexual/bisexual risk group. There is some evidence that the comprehensive programmes can achieve change in the behaviour of intravenous drug abusers. There are very few reports linking behaviour change among adolescents and young adults to education programmes. Much of the available literature relates to changes in knowledge and attitudes. International recommendations on the nature of the ideal health education intervention on AIDS are reviewed. The importance of a comprehensive health education programme which incorporates AIDS education and which commences early in youth is noted. The role of the community physician in relation to education programmes and other aspects of monitoring and management of the AIDS epidemic is discussed.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools

The role of the school is to provide an appropriate education for all its pupils. A stable, secure learning environment is an essential requirement to achieve this goal. Bullying behaviour, by its very nature, undermines and dilutes the quality of education. Research shows that bullying can have short and long-term effects on the physical and mental well-being of pupils, on engagement with school, on self-confidence and on the ability to pursue ambitions and interests. School-based bullying can be positively and firmly addressed through a range of school-based measures and strategies through which all members of the school community are enabled to act effectively in dealing with this behaviour. While it is recognised that home and societal factors play a substantial role both in the cause and in the prevention of bullying, the role of the school in preventative work is also crucial and should not be underestimated. School-based initiatives can either reinforce positive efforts or help counteract unsuccessful attempts of parents to change unacceptable behaviour. Parents and pupils have a particularly important role and responsibility in helping the school to prevent and address school-based bullying behaviour and to deal with any negative impact within school of bullying behaviour that occurs elsewhere. In this document, any reference(s) to parent(s) can be taken to refer also to guardian(s) where applicable.

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 1 Template anti-bullying policy

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 1 Template anti-bullying policy. Provided by the Department of Education and Skills, Ireland.

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 2 Practical tips for building a positive school culture and climate

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 2 Practical tips for building a positive school culture and climate. Provided by the Department of Education and Skills, Ireland.

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 3 Template for recording bullying behaviour

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 3 Template for recording bullying behaviour. Provided by the Department of Education and Skills, Ireland.

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 4 Checklist for annual review of the anti-bullying policy and its implementation

The Board of Management (the Board) must undertake an annual review of the school’s anti-bullying policy and its implementation. The following checklist must be used for this purpose. The checklist is an aid to conducting this review and is not intended as an exhaustive list. In order to complete the checklist, an examination and review involving both quantitative and qualitative analysis, as appropriate across the various elements of the implementation of the school’s anti-bullying policy will be required.

Delivering Equality Of Opportunity In Schools - An Action Plan for Educational Inclusion

This action plan focuses on addressing the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities, from pre-school through second-level education (3 to18 years). Its frame of reference is based on the definition of “educational disadvantage” in the Education Act (1998) as: “...the impediments to education arising from social or economic disadvantage which prevent students from deriving appropriate benefit from education in schools.” The action plan is, therefore, one element of a continuum of interventions to address disadvantage, which include second-chance education and training and access measures for adults to support increased participation by under-represented groups in further and higher education. A further element of this continuum is the ongoing development of provision for pupils with special educational needs in light of the enactment of the Education for Persons with Special Needs Act (2004) and the establishment of the National Council for Special Education.

Delivering Equality Of Opportunity In Schools - An Action Plan for Educational Inclusion - Summary

This action plan focuses on addressing the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities, from pre-school through second-level education (3 to18 years). Its frame of reference is based on the definition of “educational disadvantage” in the Education Act (1998) as: “...the impediments to education arising from social or economic disadvantage which prevent students from deriving appropriate benefit from education in schools.” The action plan is, therefore, one element of a continuum of interventions to address disadvantage, which include second-chance education and training and access measures for adults to support increased participation by under-represented groups in further and higher education. A further element of this continuum is the ongoing development of provision for pupils with special educational needs in light of the enactment of the Education for Persons with Special Needs Act (2004) and the establishment of the National Council for Special Education.