Dr Diane Crone has been selected for a Transversal Study Visit grant for Educational and Vocational Training Specialists to Asturias, Spain in March 2011. The Transversal programme is one of six European Lifelong Learning Programmes designed to support education and training across Europe. Funded centrally by the European Council, the aims of the study visit are to increase understanding of education and vocational training policies and themes of common interest across Europe, offer a medium for the exchange of advice, ideas and information between participants and the hosts, and enrich the flow of information between participating countries.
The Study Visit, ‘School as a source for health’ is explained below:
WHY?
The mental and physical wellbeing of pupils is important not only for the pupils, their parents and school staff but also for the whole community. The wellbeing of pupils is considered an important indicator of the quality of education, pupils learning and their competence for lifelong learning. Since 1992, in Asturias (north of Spain), an agreement exists between the Consejeria of Education and the Consejeria of Health of the Government of the Principality of Asturias to promote and support development of healthy educational programmes at school (healthy/unhealthy food, healthy/unhealthy habits, recycling, rejecting drugs, safety road education). Consequently, there is an annual call for pedagogical projects involving and promoting health through school curricula. This annual call permits Asturias’s schools to be part of the European network of health promoting school (ENHPS). There are 23 schools
involved and some have received awards from the Spanish ministry of education.
WHAT?
Participants will learn about:
- examples of good practice carried out in our region;
- collaboration between different institutions involved in health education;
- in-service teacher training programmes related to health education;
- how health education is developed in participants countries.
HOW?
Participants will:
- visit primary, secondary and vocational education schools;
- visit institutions taking part or collaborating in development of health education at schools;
- meet and talk to a director of in-service teacher training institutions;
- attend lectures and exchange experiences and examples of good practice in participants
regions;
- observe resources used in health education.
The grant will cover the costs of travelling to, and attending the 5 day programme, where 11 other professionals from across Europe each with a common interest in promoting healthy living to children and young people in schools and the community will share their experiences, learn from each other’s examples of practice and policy, and develop networks for continued working within Europe, in the future.
Following attending the Study Week Dr Crone will disseminate the learning from other countries with colleagues in education, sport education and local health professionals through a report (to be published via this webpage), and University/Faculty seminars.
Part of the conditions of the Study Week involves the presentation of a case study on the health promotion for young people in England. Dr Crone intends on presenting an exciting pilot study aimed at increasing physical activity levels of inactive children in schools through motivational interviewing that colleagues from the University are evaluating, titled Young People’s Physical Actvity Pathway project. This project is taking place currently in Birmingham and is centred on the ‘Let’s Get Moving’ physical activity care pathway recommendations document.
For further information on the University’s invovlement in evlautions of the Let’s Get Moving Physical Activity Pathway project please also refer to http://www.glos.ac.uk/research/dse/projects/Pages/pacpe.aspx.