The Public Health Minister, Tessa Jowell, announced details in the House of Commons, promising £150,000 to pilot centres in Cornwall, Doncaster, Durham, Hounslow, Manchester, Norfolk, North Staffordshire and West Sussex.

The Healthy Schools Initiative, launched by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Employment, will bring together local education and health authorities in a bid to reach young people before they adopt the habits of an unhealthy adulthood.

Public Health Minister Tessa Jowell wants education and health authorities to work together

"Deprivation exists in both rural and urban areas and the prime causes of inequality are in the health of our children. This programme will be a major step in tackling inequality in childhood," Tessa Jowell told MPs.

The areas in which the Healthy Schools Initiative will be seeking improvements will be safety, emotional health and well-being, physical activity, food and eating, substance misuse and sex education.