Maidenhead & Windsor

Pupils from two Windsor schools will fly the Royal Windsor and Maidenhead Borough "health" flag at a special conference to be held in the borough this week.

The youngsters from Oakfield First and Dedworth Middle Schools will take centre stage to help launch the Berkshire Healthy Schools conference to be held on Tuesday November 6 from 9am to 3pm at Windsor Racecourse, Maidenhead Road, Windsor.

The pupils' star turn – a musical performance in which they will sing about their "Recipe for a Healthy School" - kicks off a day of workshops and discussions around the theme of "Leading the Way" as part of the popular Healthy Schools programme.

To date, nearly 40 Royal Windsor and Maidenhead Borough schools have achieved Healthy Schools status, which requires participating schools to demonstrate their commitment to the programme by focussing on issues ranging from sex and relationships and drug education, managing feelings and preventing bullying to the importance of regular activity and making healthy eating choices.

All these topics will be covered in workshops during next week's one-day conference organised by Berkshire local authorities and the NHS for teachers and senior managers across Berkshire under the headings of personal social and health education (PSHE), emotional health and wellbeing, physical activity and healthy eating.

Flying the "professional" flag for the Royal Borough and leading two of the workshops will be Healthy Schools advisers Jenny Murphy who will talk about "Getting to Grips with Outcomes" and Cyndy Gray who will round off the day with a workshop entitled "Assessing Personal, Social and Health Education – making it Manageable".

Cllr Eileen Quick, lead member for Windsor and Maidenhead education, said: "I would like to see every school in the borough achieving National Healthy Schools status as it is all about helping young people to feel healthy both physically and emotionally, encouraging every child to feel good about themselves and enabling them to develop into well-rounded adults.

"Next week's conference will enable teachers and other professionals to share information and experiences to help spread the health message to more young people – and for these young people to take that important message out of the classroom to their own families at home."

Dr Angela Snowling, public health lead at Berkshire East Primary Care Trust, said: "The potential for positive long-term effects on a person's health could be greatly influenced by educating, from a young age, about the importance of physical and emotional wellbeing.

"The National Healthy Schools programme gives participating schools a great head start in helping their pupils to have the healthy lifestyle that we all deserve."

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead