Engaging Parents in Promoting Health

Pledge for a Healthy and Active Future PARENT/CARER SESSION This session is suitable to be delivered at the start of your journey with the Pledge for a Healthy and Active Future (PHAF) and will help to engage parents with your whole school approach to health. Working with parents and carers is important to develop a cohesive approach that supports children and families together with improving their health and being a Parents/carers are also members of your school community and can support changes environment and help to drive forward a positive movement for health. healthy weight. in the local Audience: Parents/carers Duration: 45 minutes Resources: Fruit and/or healthy snacks, teas and coffees, water, screen, chairs, name labels, flip chart, pens You may wish to involve a couple of older pupils in facilitating this session. It would be empowering for the pupils involved and also will provide and a child/pupils voice about why this is an important issue. PowerPoint: if you have access to a screen and computer, you may wish to use the accompanying PowerPoint which can be downloaded Time Slide( s) Topic Notes/script Resources 5 mins 1-2 Welcome Ask parents/carers to make a name label Name labels Welcome parents to the meeting Introductions Check in question: Ask all parents to introduce themselves and to answer a check-in question. Ideas are below: What did you have for breakfast today?

Name a role model in your life What was your favourite subject at school? Something you like to do outdoors What is your favourite food/meal? 10 mins 3 Setting the scene Facilitator to ask questions to the group. Draw or write answers on a flip chart. Flip chart paper Pens What does a healthy child look like? What do we need to help us be healthy? How can being healthy help our children at school? 10 mins 4 Helping us to be healthy Group Activity: Barriers to health Post it notes Pens/penc ils Flip chart paper Ask parents/cares to write down their ideas on post-it notes, and then come and stick them up on a flip chart divided into two sections. Is there anything which can make being healthy challenging? What helps us to be healthy and make healthy choices? Facilitator to go through answers. Try to group into factors relating to the individual, social network/family and the environment. 5 mins 5 Being a healthy weight Share local or national data on weight in children. Share feedback from the consultation survey (if this has been conducted). PowerPoin t In primary schools across the UK children are weighed and measured in when they start

school and also again in Year 6. For some people this experience can make them feel uneasy or worried. But it s really important to help the country know how it can support children and young people to grow up healthy and strong. No one knows about your child s weight or height but your parents may have got a letter with some advice that s right for you. We know that more than 1 in 3 children in Year 6 were overweight or very overweight as shown by this picture. Being underweight can also be a worry for some parents/carers too But we know there are lots of things around us that may be helpful or unhelp when we are trying to be healthy. Which is why we all need to support each other. 10 mins 6 Our school Group activity: Work as a full group or break into smaller groups. Use flip chart papers. Ask parents to think about anything they may have noticed or heard that already happens in school, to help pupils to be a healthy weight. Flip chart paper Pens Come back together as a group and feedback. Facilitator to share other examples of what is already happening in school to help pupils and the school community be healthy.

A chance to celebrate and highlight key things the school is already doing such as the curriculum, policies, events etc. 5 mins 7 Pledge for a Healthy and Active Future Our school is going to sign a commitment as we feel there is a lot we can do to support our pupils, their families and each other as members of staff. We are already a Healthy School (delete if not applicable) but we think we can work together to do more. Pick out a couple of the commitments and ask parents/carers for ideas for how the school could work towards these or make changes. 5 mins 8-9 Summary discussion and finish Individual activity: Making individual pledges. Paper Pens Ask parents/carers to think of one thing they could do as a family to become healthier or make a difference to others. Ask parents to write down pledges and volunteers to share their ideas if they are happy to do so. Thank parents for coming and ask for any final comments or feedback on the session.