'Full-service' school improves health

Almost one in three pupils has been to see the school nurse

A County Durham school has said an experiment to turn it into a support centre for pupils, using ideas adopted from the USA, is proving a success.

Since the project got under way in January 2003, a total of 166 pupils have been helped by the scheme at Greenfield School Community and Arts college in Newton Aycliffe.

The school has been transformed with an educational welfare officer, counsellor, nurse, two advisors and student support worker.

All are based permanently on site to help pupils, and a family support worker is soon to join the team.

The concept of "full service schooling" first emerged in America in the 1980s.

The idea is for schools to provide integrated health and social services, helping families and individuals and raising educational achievement in disadvantaged areas.

Healthy eating

So far a total of 85 boys and 81 girls have sought help.

School nurse Julie Rodgers has seen 61 pupils with a variety of problems from basic medical problems to sexual health advice.

She has also helped 13 other pupils from partner schools in the area. Eight pupils have attended a course to help them stop smoking and so far two have achieved their goal.

Other preventative work includes sex and relationship education, first aid and healthy eating.

Head Teacher Mike Thornton said: "Many children are from chaotic and unstable backgrounds.

"Many find themselves struggling to cope in a vicious circle of low expectation, limited horizons and poor aspiration.

"We hope to turn this around, giving pupils the specialist support they need to encourage them to thrive and achieve their full potential."

Body image

He said it had long been recognised that if pupils are troubled, stressed, or upset they will find it difficult to learn.

The new project is called Reach - Regenerating Education and Community Health.

It is funded by the government's Neighbourhood Renewal Fund which has awarded the school a grant of £44,000 over two years.

Pupils can discuss a range of issues from bullying and conflict with friends and family members to problems with drugs, control of anger, self-esteem, body image and health.

The school takes pupils aged 11 to 16, from the whole of Newton Aycliffe.

A third come from the west ward, an area ranked as being in the top 5% most deprived nationally in the most recent Index of Multiple Deprivation.

The school has recently had an outstanding Ofsted report and has Arts College specialist status for five years.