Healthy outlook is an award winner (From Gazette Series)

Healthy outlook is an award winner

EFFORTS to promote a healthy environment at a Berkeley school have been rewarded as part of a new countywide scheme.

The Vale of Berkeley College has received an award from the Gloucestershire Healthy Schools Partnership in recognition of the work it does to promote the health and well being of its pupils.

The partnership, which is led by Gloucestershire County Council and the county's Primary Care Trusts, bases awards on a school's commitment to a number of categories.

Schools are assessed on their promotion of citizenship, drug education, emotional health and well being, healthy eating, physical activity, safety and sex and relationships education.

Assistant headteacher Nicki Ross collected the award at a celebration ceremony at Hatherley Manor Hotel.

"We are pleased to be part of this initiative," she said. "At the Vale of Berkeley College we strive to ensure that learning takes place in a supportive and safe physical and social environment which is conducive to making healthy choices. In so doing have fulfilled the criteria for this award.

"I am very proud that our efforts have been recognised in this way. Much of this work is covered in our PHSE lessons, but we also have whole school conference days targeted specifically at some of these important issues."

Year ten pupils Leanne Smart, Kirst Turl, and Andrew Wooldridge also attended the celebration ceremony.

Leanne said "This is the first year that secondary schools have been considered for the award and I felt very privileged to be part of it.

"I was also pleased that we were able to demonstrate some of work we do in school by evaluating sex education through a 'circle time' activity.

Our school has done particularly well in looking after pupils' emotional well-being it is good to think that someone else other than us realises how hard our school tries to look after us"