Learning about being healthy
- At St Joseph's we want to promote healthy lifestyles to foster good habits and fitness. We want to give our children the starting blocks to grow into healthy and happy adults. From the very beginning, in the breakfasts we provide in the morning, to the water throughout the day, nutritionally balanced lunches and healthy snacks, we are providing a balanced and healthy diet for our children.
- Our breakfast club is very well attended and the school lunches, which are cooked on the premises, are very popular. Children bring healthy snacks for break and KS1 children are given fruit as a snack. Children are encouraged to drink water throughout the day and it is available for them in every classroom. In Reception class the children are given milk and fruit every day. Children who choose to bring a packed lunch are encouraged to make healthy choices. This is monitored by our school council and by our healthy eating rules, where chocolate and fizzy drinks are not allowed.
- Our children love to be active. We have regular, active PE lessons and employ qualified PE coaches to lead "Big PE" sessions every week with Year 3, 4, 5 and 6. Every year we celebrate healthy activity through our Healthy Heart Day where the children learn about how their heart works, and they have the opportunity to participate in a range of physical activities e.g. Zumba dancing, martial arts and skipping workshops as well as making a healthy drink or snack. They celebrate their sportsmanship and skills in Sports Day every year too through fun competitive and inclusive games.
- Every term the children learn how to design and make healthy dishes during Food Technology days. In the playground the children enjoy a wide range of fun physical games with their friends. We run many sports related after school clubs including: dance, martial arts, football, basketball and top skills. These clubs are very popular with both boys and girls. We monitor them every term to ensure that children of all physical aptitude and gender are taking an equal and active part. Children at St Joseph's love to walk, cycle and scoot to school! Physical health and mental health and wellbeing are linked.
- Through the Science curriculum children are given the knowledge and skills to enable them to investigate how their body works, grows and how to stay healthy e.g. how to keep your teeth clean and strong. Through PSHCE and RSE the children learn about making healthy choices, keeping safe, making good friendship choices, staying safe and having a good body image. These things are taught with a focus on learning the knowledge and skills needed to make good choices and class discussions with scenarios and stories to bring the issues alive for the children. We teach the children about how to be resilient through our Seven Habits for Healthy Children Assemblies. We have outside speakers from recognised agencies e.g. NSPCC who run workshops on keeping safe and sharing worries with an adult. Children tell us that they feel safe at school and are reminded regularly to tell an adult if they have a worry. We are always here to listen. We know that issues such as obesity, anxiety or poor body image are complex.
- We work alongside parents to support with Coffee Mornings on issues such as: "How to help fussy eaters" and "How to help your child's mental health and well being."