Newham Healthy Schools Celebration Event – 25th June 2025
Theme: Belonging in Newham
On Wednesday, 25th June, the London Borough of Newham proudly hosted the annual Newham Healthy Schools Celebration Event at the Old Town Hall in Stratford, bringing together over 65 attendees from across the borough. From 10 schools in 2020 we now have over 60 schools with Healthy School awards – with 13 having Gold.
Participants included Healthy School Leads, PSHE and Wellbeing Leads, Designated Safeguarding Leads, Senior Leaders, and local partners collaborating with schools to promote the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Over 20 services and organisations joined the marketplace of stalls, showcasing the diverse range of support available to schools. It was inspiring to see so many conversations and connections taking place around the room.
- This Year’s Theme: “Belonging in Newham” : Inspired by Newham’s recognition as a Borough of Sanctuary, this year’s theme celebrated the inspiring work taking place across our school communities to promote health, inclusion, and wellbeing for all. Reflecting this spirit of welcome and belonging, the hall was beautifully decorated with bunting created by pupils from Kensington Primary School, as part of World Refugee Week.
- Connection to the 50 Steps Strategy :The Healthy Schools Programme aligns with Step 3 of Newham’s 50 Steps Strategy: “Enhance the role played by schools, Youth Zones and other settings for children and young people in enabling good health and wellbeing.”
Event Highlights
- Celebration of Success: We celebrated the outstanding efforts of schools in promoting the health and wellbeing of pupils, staff, and the wider community. We have presented a total of 27 Healthy Schools Awards this year, including: 13 Bronze, 5 Silver and 9 Gold.
- Sharing of Good Practice: Two schools shared their inspiring Healthy School journeys: Keir Hardie Primary School (Silver Award) and Sandringham Primary School (Gold Award). They offered valuable insights into their approaches, key learnings, and the positive outcomes they’ve achieved through their commitment to health and wellbeing.
- Guest Speaker: Professor Roberto Filippi spoke on Multilingualism in Schools, the benefits and opportunities and the inequalities, particularly around deprivation.
- Developing Welcome Principles Framework: The event concluded with a collaborative session focused on shaping the Welcome Principles Framework—a practical and evolving tool designed to support schools and organisations in building inclusive, safe, and welcoming environments. Attendees were invited to share feedback to inform the framework’s future development.
Interested in learning more about the Newham Healthy Schools Programme?
Get in touch with Amy Hayfield to explore the support available to schools across the borough. This includes guidance on achieving Healthy Schools accreditation, access to local health and wellbeing initiatives, and opportunities to share best practice with local schools. [email protected]
