Frequently Asked Questions

A Healthy School Early Years setting:

• is one that promotes good physical, social, emotional and mental health and helps equip children, staff and families with the skills and attitudes to make informed decisions about their health. 
• is successful in supporting young children to do their best and build on their achievements; it is committed to ongoing improvement and development.
• recognises the importance of investing in health and wellbeing to assist in the process of raising children and young people's self confidence and achievement levels.
• involves the whole school community, parents, governors, staff and pupils in improving children's health, wellbeing and happiness, helping them to get the most out of life.

To become a Healthy Schools Early Years setting you need to self validate using the Healthy Schools Early Years health check on the Healthy Schools website.

Schools with a service level agreement (SLA) with the Health and Wellbeing Service can register for the Healthy Schools Early Years programme as part of their SLA.

Other settings, without an SLA can purchase the website for £250.

Leeds

The Healthy Schools Early Years self validation programme is free to Leeds schools who have a service level agreement with the Health and Wellbeing service or to schools who purchase the Healthy Schools website.

Schools and settings without an SLA can purchase the website for £250.

Assessment visits are available to Leeds schools and settings at a cost of £400.

Private early yeas settings in Leeds can also purchase the website. Please contach schoolwellbeing@leeds.gov.uk

External schools outside of Leeds

Schools and Early Years settings outside of Leeds can also purchase the webside for £250. Please contact schoolwellbeing@leeds.gov.uk

Using the Healthy Schools Early Years school health check.

Once registered you will be sent a log in to access the Early Years school health check.

There are 5 sections to complete;

• Healthy Eating.
• Physical Activity.
• Ethos and Environment.
• Leadership.
• Personal, social, and emotional development. 

Read each statement and then add evidence from your setting in the free type box.

Once you have added evidence give yourself a grading for each statement - Emerging, Expected or Exceeding.

Once you have filled in evidence for each statement, you will be asked to give each theme an overall grade.

The summary and submit page will give an overall picture for grading.

Healthy Schools Early Years status is valid for 3 years from the date the self-validation is accepted. However, it is recommended that the audit is reviewed and updated regularly after submission to ensure the information is up to date and relevant. This can be done through this website.

No, the Healthy Schools Early Years programme is a non-portfolio based award. If your school or setting does have an external assessment visit, following your self-validation, the evidence will be collected via interviews with key stakeholders, learning walks and profiles and observations scrutiny during the assessment visit.

However, any supporting documents you would like to share can be uploaded to the My Documents section of the website.

We do not set timescales. The Healthy Schools Early Years health check can be changed and updated as many times as it needs to be before submission.

For those schools and settings wishing to have an external assessment we would aim to do this within 12 months of you submitting your self-validated Healthy Schools Early Years Health Check.