Schools' healthy outlook rewarded; Pupils celebrate reaching standard.

Byline: EMMA RAY

TWO schools in north Warwickshire have collected awards for their work in improving the health of their school community.

Park Lane Primary School, in Nuneaton, and Herbert Fowler Junior School, in Ansley Lane, Arley, are among the first schools in the county to make the grade in the Warwickshire Health Promoting School Scheme.

At a ceremony they were presented with silver and bronze awards respectively by Cllr Dot Webster (Lab, Nuneaton Arbury).

Park Lane Primary School head teacher Jan Hamilton said: "We really are thrilled and are now working towards our gold award, which takes 12 months to complete.

"The children, staff, parents and the whole community worked hard to achieve the silver award - we are the first in the whole of Nuneaton and Bedworth to get it."

The scheme was set up in response to the National Healthy School Standard, a programme promoted jointly by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills.

Schools taking part each made a public commitment to developing health promoting practices, identifying specific ways to improve the health and well-being of their school community.

Successful schools had to show they were able to make significant progress in each of the tasks and meet targets.

Examples of tasks undertaken range from improving the school environment to encouraging healthy eating and developing drug education.

CAPTION(S):

SUCCESS: All smiles at Herbert Fowler school, from left, Jane Rathbone, Sue Tulip, Cllr Haydn Thomas from warwick District Council, Samuel Croft, Cllr Dot Webster, Rachel Asbury, Jasmine Wilson and Stella Stinton.