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St Paul’s Anglican Grammar gets healthy all round

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar gets healthy all round

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar is the first secondary school to achieve all eight health priority areas in the Achievement Program.

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar started its health journey with something that might seem simple; a review of the canteen menu across its campuses in Warragul and Traralgon.

It quickly became clear that creating a healthier school meant looking at the whole picture, and so they signed up to the Achievement Program. This helped the school make a wide range of exciting healthy changes, from healthier options on the canteen menu, to the creation of a wellbeing team and providing professional development opportunities for teachers.

St Paul’s joined the Achievement Program in 2013, and in June 2017 they became the first secondary school to achieve all eight priority areas: healthy eating, physical activity, safe environments, sun protection, mental health and wellbeing, tobacco control, alcohol and other drug use, and sexual health and wellbeing.

St Paul’s Four Tips for successfully working through the Achievement Program:

  1. Form a health and wellbeing team and meet regularly
  2. Identify school champions to help drive tasks in between meetings
  3. Work with your local health promotion team, and get as much help with admin tasks as you can
  4. Keep publicity going – keep the great work you are doing well publicised and your achievements recognised.

The biggest change for St Paul’s has been the way the students, staff and parents understand healthy eating. The school reworked its menu, which included appointing a qualified chef, sourcing local produce, and running a competition to name the new canteen. The winning name was ‘Tastebuds’.

Principal Lisa Moloney says, “Reviewing and adapting along the way helped a lot. We are trying to lead by example, and we know that working towards health and wellbeing is a lifelong process”.

To create a healthier school environment, register with the Achievement Program now.

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