Healthy Schools

Healthy Schools Week 2011: 7-11 March

In Healthy Schools Week this year we focused on Nourishment.

The week started with an assembly highlighting what we do at Channing to encourage healthy eating by teaching Nutrition as a topic in Science and in PSHE. Girls have the chance to apply this knowledge by selecting what they wish to eat from a wide range of healthy choices at lunchtime, including 2 or 3 different options for a hot meal, a fantastic salad bar, a selection of desserts and as much fresh fruit as they want. Girls were also warned about celebrity magazines and the way in which they promote unhealthy role models and prosper from the insecurity of their readers.

On Tuesday Mr Hill and the Yr 10 Healthy Schools Officers made and handed out delicious, vitamin-packed fresh-fruit smoothies, which were enjoyed by everyone.

On Wednesday we focused on substance abuse with a very successful Drugs Awareness Day attended by all Senior School pupils. This was provided by accredited counsellor, Karen Richardson and her daughter Georgie Calder. Georgie is now in her 20’s but when she was in her teens she started experimenting with drugs. She gave a brave, frank and, at times, harrowing account of her descent from a happy, successful and popular school girl into a homeless drug addict with no one left to turn to. The talk had a huge impact on the girls, partly because they could relate to Georgie since she too attended an Independent Girls School in London. She also provided some sobering facts abut drug and alcohol addiction and encouraged girls to think about the friends and families of those who are affected by this issue. In the evening, Karen gave a moving and informative talk to parents when she advised against unwittingly becoming enablers for drug use. She showed us some fascinating but also rather alarming drugs paraphernalia to help parents spot the signs of drug use amongst teenagers.

On Thursday, we had an assembly given by TV nutritionalist, and Channing Old Girl, Nicole Berberian. She gave a clear, informative and compelling account of why nutrition is so important, particularly for young people. She emphasised the need for girls to consider the importance of regular, balanced meals as an essential part of health and wellbeing. She talked about the impact of poor diet on appearance (hair, skin and nails), concentration, energy levels, mental health and fertility. 

This was followed by Ready Steady Cook, where girls in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 saw and tasted healthy recipes prepared by award winning chefs, Chris Stanley and Steve Acton. It was great to hear these culinary experts talking passionately about food and showing girls how to prepare easy and nutritious snacks and meals. 

On Friday, we reviewed the week’s events in an assembly reiterating the message that girls should think carefully about the opportunities they have to make good or poor choices every day, and that these decisions can have a serious impact on their lives, both now and in the future.

The week finished with an attempt to get pupils away from computers and form rooms and to have an active break time instead. Rhymes echoed around the courtyard as over 60 girls and staff took part in an invigorating mass skipping event.

The week was a great success and raised consciousness about nourishment and healthy lifestyles. Healthy Schools Week will return next year.

Mr Gittins, Head of PSHE

Channing school is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for pupils and staff, and puts the wellbeing of its community at the centre of its ethos.

PSHE

Please click here to read the Channing PSHE and Citizenship Policy

Please click here to read the Channing Sex and Relationships Education Policy

Please click here to read the Channing Drugs Education and Prevention Policy

We have a highly successful PSHE department in which form tutors deliver a carefully considered and up-to-date syllabus. Schemes of work have been adapted from the National Curriculum to fit the specific needs of Channing girls and are in line with DCSF guidelines.

A wide range of organisations have been consulted to make sure that issues are handled sensitively and information is accurate. We have recently worked with Brook, The Havens, The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Kidskape, Drugs Education UK and the McClellan Practice, which also provides speakers.

Parenting evenings are also an important aspect of the pastoral care offered by Channing. We have held a debate about social networking sites in which parents, pupils and staff considered the motion ‘Children should be kept away from Facebook’. The motion was lost, partly because of the many robust and humorous presentations given by girls to refute the proposition.

In Year 10, girls are invited to become Healthy Schools Officers, who meet regularly with the Head of PSHE to give their advice on how to develop the programmes of study for PSHE. They also help revise school policies to make sure that the syllabus is current and relevant. Their knowledge and experiences are an important part of the evaluation process.

Healthy Eating

Please click here to read the Channing Healthy Eating Policy

Pupils are taught about healthy eating in PSHE and in Key stage 3 Science lessons.

School lunches at Channing are very good indeed. Pupils have a choice of a hot or cold meal with an extensive salad bar and fresh fruit readily available.

Hot meals are thoughtfully prepared and take into account the dietary requirements of Girls with allergies and intolerances. All food is sourced sensitivity in line with our determination to become a Green Flag school. Food is prepared on site and is carefully monitored to assure that meals are both popular and healthy.

Healthy Schools Officers in Year 10 advise the Bursar on catering issues and make suggestions on how to make lunchtimes as efficient and relaxed as possible. As a result the school has recently devised split lunchtimes to reduce the queuing time for pupils and has invested in creating a pleasant environment for eating. A recent initiative has been the introduction of 'meat-free Mondays' at the Senior School, at the instigation of the school's Environmental Council.

Parents' focus groups have been a vital part of the planning process in the updating of kitchens and menus at Fairseat.

Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care at Channing is ‘outstanding’. Small class sizes and committed staff combine to create a friendly, welcoming atmosphere in which pupils feel safe and supported. There are clear protocols for pupils and staff who seek help and a range of options including fully qualified nurses who are available throughout the school day. Pupils could also seek help from a Form Tutor, a Co-Tutor, a Section Head or even the Headmistress, whose door is always open to pupils with worries.

Channing also has its own agony aunt - 'Dear Dorothy'. Pupils can write to her with their problems on the school intranet and are promised a written response. This is also a way for the girls to access information about recommended support agencies and helplines. No one knows the identity of Dorothy except Mr Gittins, the head of PSHE, and he refuses to divulge!

Physical Education

Please click here to read the Channing Physical Education Policy

Girls at Channing are able to access a wide range of games and lunchtime activities and most have two double periods a week of PE lessons.

The school has a number of teams and squads who play other schools in the area and the Netball Squad has also toured Barbados.

The ethos of the school promotes inclusion and this is at the heart of Physical Education at Channing. Girls who want to join teams can attend development lessons, and every pupil takes part in Sports Day in Summer Term. Channing is also very proud of its provision for girls higher up the school and offers a range of activities for girls in the 6th Form including military fitness training, golf, horse riding, and street dance.

Channing has a multi-gym, tennis courts and netball courts, and a rounders pitch, which both pupils and staff have access to. Staff are also encouraged to attend after-school activities such as pilates and ballroom dancing, both provided by the school.

Parents arrange an annual swimathon and weekend tennis tournament as part of a thriving parents' association.