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What the food environment specialist award is and what your school needs to do to achieve it.
About the food environment specialist award
The food environment specialist award gives advice on food, drink and nutrition in schools. Supporting children to eat and drink healthily has a positive impact on their health throughout their lives.
The award includes guidance on:
- having a dedicated member of school staff to work improving school food provision
- providing healthy food at school
- creating a food policy
- the teaching of cooking and growing
What your school needs to do to achieve the award
You must make changes in your school to improve the food environment. This could include:
- changes to the school's culture
- changes to the school's physical environment
- making improvements to the curriculum
- investing in leadership and training
How long it takes
We recommend that you complete the application within one year, so that your answers stay up to date.
Online system
Use our online system to:
- see the award criteria and guidance
- tell us you're starting to work towards a specialist award
- send us evidence of your work
- track your progress
- submit your finished work
Download the pdf award criteria (248 KB) .
Guidance and resources
We have:
- advice, training and resources, such as lesson plans and example policies, on our food and nutrition topic page
- pdf guidance on writing a school food policy (867 KB)
After you achieve the award
Your school will:
- receive a Mental Health and Wellbeing Specialist Award Certificate
- be able to use award logos on your website or letterheads
- receive further support from the Bristol Healthy Schools Team
What the Essential Award is and how your school can achieve it.
The Essential Award gives an overview of key Healthy Schools topics.
To get the Essential Award, you'll need to carry out key actions to:
- increase pupils' physical activity
- make sure school food is healthy
- support pupils' mental health and wellbeing
How long it takes to do the Essential Award
We recommend that you complete the application within one year, so that your answers stay up to date.
Start working towards the Essential Award
Use our online system to:
- see the award criteria and guidance
- tell us you're starting to work towards the essential award
- send us evidence of your work
- track your progress
- submit your finished work
Download the award criteria for:
- pdf Primary School (419 KB)
- pdf Secondary School (421 KB)
- pdf Through Schools (Both, Primary and Secondary) (373 KB)
How we support you
We'll:
- work with you and with your school nurse, giving guidance over email
- provide a directory of advice, guidance and resources
- give extra support to schools working in the most deprived areas or with the most vulnerable pupils, we'll contact you to arrange this
Download documents to help you complete the award.
How we assess your work
We'll look at your work and compare it to the award criteria. We'll let you know if we you need to do more work to get the award within 4 weeks of you submitting your work
What you'll get
When your school achieves the Essential Award we'll:
- send you a certificate
- send you digital logos that you can add to your website or letterheads
- add you to our Healthy Schools website, so your local community and other schools can learn about the work your staff and pupils did to earn the awards
You can also work towards specialist awards.
What the Bristol Ideal Award is, what your school needs to do to achieve it and why we have the Bristol Ideal Award.
Improving safety and support for students, staff and families affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.
About the Bristol Ideal Award
The Bristol Ideal Award is a set of standards for settings to follow to improve their approach to:
- domestic abuse
- sexual violence
- healthy relationships
The award represents a commitment to safeguarding staff, students and preventing unhealthy behaviours in the next generation.
There is an emphasis on participation, and we want children and young people to take a leading role in delivering the Bristol Ideal Award in their settings.
The award was revised in 2022, with new criteria and a streamlined application process.
To update the award, we consulted with children and young people's participation groups. Their views and priorities have informed the new criteria.
The award has been informed by recent legislation, including Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, Ofsted 2021 Report, Domestic Abuse Act, and the response to murders of Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
The award criteria were also adapted with the 2021 Ofsted Report Guidance in mind.
What your school needs to do to achieve the award
You must make changes in your school to improve mental health and wellbeing. This could include:
- changes to the school's physical environment
- changes to the school's culture
- updating relevant policies
- making improvements to the curriculum
- investing in leadership and training
How long it takes
We recommend that you complete the application within one year, so that your answers stay up to date.
Online system
Use our online system to:
- see the award criteria and guidance
- tell us you're starting to work towards a specialist award
- send us evidence of your work
- track your progress
- submit your finished work
document Download the award criteria (383 KB) .
What the award covers
The award covers:
- leadership
- school culture
- school environment
- DA/SV services
- staff and student wellbeing
- safeguarding policies
- participation
Guidance and resources
To help you to plan your answers and access resources, use our document guidance document (383 KB) .
This will help you make sense of what we are asking for and signpost you to helpful documents.
For example, we might ask you to review your learning resources, in this case, we have included links to relevant websites.
After you achieve the award
Your school will:
- receive a Mental Health and Wellbeing Specialist Award Certificate
- be able to use award logos on your website or letterheads
- receive further support from the Bristol Healthy Schools Team
The KS1 to KS4 staff surveys for the Healthy Schools Essential Award.
If your school is taking part in this award then you can download these documents to help you to establish where you might want to focus your efforts and find out where you are before and after you work through the criteria.
These surveys are optional.
Key Stage 1 and 2
- pdf KS1 and 2 Pupil Health and Wellbeing Survey (easy print version) (487 KB)
- document KS1 and 2 Pupil Health and Wellbeing Survey (69 KB)
Key Stage 3 and 4
- pdf KS3 and 4 Pupil Health and Wellbeing Survey (easy print version) (246 KB)
- document KS3 and 4 Pupil Health and Wellbeing Survey (72 KB)
Staff evaluation surveys
- pdf Staff Wellness Evaluation Survey (easy print version) (168 KB)
- document Staff Wellness Evaluation Survey (76 KB)
SEND pupil survey
pdf Pupil Wellness Survey (Widget adapted - easy print version) (487 KB)
Created in WidgitOnline by WC Claremont School.
What support we offer to schools working with us
Bristol Healthy Schools Team offers free support from Public Health experts and partners.
Bristol Healthy Schools offer includes:
- one to one tailored guidance and support for schools around their health and wellbeing objectives
- access to free awards scheme
- access to Public Health Specialists for topic-specific advice and guidance
- access to exclusive offers from Bristol City Council partners
- healthy Schools Network meetings (school to school learning)
- topic specific webinars
- drop-in sessions
- monthly newsletter
- access to website with resources, activities and guidance
- bespoke School Community Health Profiles
- Bristol Pupil Voice Survey
Additional in-person and online support to schools or education settings working:
- in the most deprived areas
- with the most vulnerable pupils
Contact us to discuss the support required: healthy.schools@bristol.gov.uk
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