Healthy Schools

Little Ilford School works hard to instil the benefits of health and wellbeing into their students.  Healthy Schools Week takes place once a year in January and then we have three additional Healthy Highlights feature days spread over the remainder of the year.  As a result we have been accredited under the TFL Stars scheme at gold level for our promotion of more walking, cycling and use of public transport for school travel.

Healthy Schools Week: 2024

Healthy Schools

Healthy Schools Week took place 22nd - 26th January. This is a week dedicated to promoting physical activity, nutrition education, and overall wellness throughout the school community. The aim of the week was to provide our students with the knowledge and tools to make healthier choices and lead balanced lives.

Throughout the week our Year 7 students were given the opportunity to participate in a range of fun and engaging physical activities which included;  Fencing, Boxing, Taekwondo and Dance. These sessions provide students with a chance to experience alternative ways of being active, which could encourage them to pursue more exercise and physical activity outside of school.  As always, engagement was immense.  Overall feedback from these sessions has been extremely positive, with numerous requests for more of this type of activity within school.

Other initiatives that took place throughout the week included the Year 8 Little Ilford junior parkrun, held at Little Ilford Park.  This is another great way of increasing activity levels and also has huge benefits to mental wellbeing. Students demonstrated great courage and commitment whilst completing this challenging course.  The fastest 5 girls and fastest 5 boys in each race were rewarded with medals and many students received R2s for their effort and resilience. 

Parkrun events take place over the weekend making them accessible to both children and their families.  A special well done goes out to Elias 8.1 who following on from our Healthy Schools Week event went on to complete the Greenwich 2k junior parkrun on Saturday 27th January.  This is a remarkable achievement and Elias should be very proud of himself.  Elias will receive a praise reward for his effort and commitment.

Our Fitness Challenges and Sports Tournaments were all well attended with each participant demonstrating high levels of enthusiasm and the desire to win the medals, achievement points and prizes on offer. It was great to see an increased number of girls participating in the activities provided this year. 

Once again our thanks go out to Sue, Peter and all the catering staff for providing another fantastic Healthy Schools Week Menu which included a variety of healthier options meals, healthy snacks, a variety of salads, a hydration station and a special healthy breakfast morning.  

Healthy eating habits can help students to understand the importance of a balanced diet and making informed food choices.

Thank you to all for supporting our Healthy Schools Week initiatives. By raising awareness of the importance of healthy habits early on we lay the foundations for a lifetime of wellness for our students.

Congratulations to all our Healthy Schools Week prize winners:

Namisan (8.4) Cycle to School Day

Ali (7.20) Rowing Challenge

Wasi (7.4) Rowing Challenge

Helen (7.2) Rowing Challenge

Aamina (9.4) Sit Up Challenge

Ami (9.6) Push Up Challenge 

Amal (9.2) Star Jumps
 

Healthy Schools 2024

Sustrans is a sustainable transport charity which promotes active travel and in particular cycling to school throughout the year.  Some of the initiatives undertaken so far include:

• Girls Bike Club – Promoting more activity amongst teenage girls
• Bike Kit Sales – giving students and staff the opportunity to purchase essential equipment for their bikes at reasonable prices
• Dr Bike Sessions – Mechanics come into school offering free safety checks on student and staff bikes
• Ride to school – a healthy travel card is given to all students who ride to school which includes a free healthy breakfast
• Sponsored bike rides to Little Ilford Park
• BMX Bike ride – Trip to Olympic Park – reward trip for Youth Travel Ambassadors