More Tower Hamlets schools have picked up this year’s Mayor of London ‘healthy living’ awards at City Hall today than schools in any other London borough.
The 29 primary and two secondary schools dominated the list of 130 from all over Greater London.
Head-teachers arrived at City Hall to get their ‘gold’ and ‘silver’ awards for promoting healthy eating, physical activity, emotional health and wellbeing and social and health education.
The schools focus on more than just teaching the Three Rs, getting children to make their own decisions about their health which research shows leads to higher academic achievement.
“They play a key role in children’s development,” Mayor Sadiq Khan said.
“Pupils’ wellbeing is vital to building a healthier future. These winning schools are promoting the importance of good health and active lifestyles.”
More than 2,000 schools are registered in the scheme, with 202 reaching gold standard, 565 silver and 1,140 bronze.
All the Tower Hamlets schools were in the top two categories, with 10 getting both ‘gold’ and ‘silver’ awards—Cyril Jackson in Limehouse, Harry Gosling and Thomas Buxton both in Whitechapel, Our Lady & St Joseph’s and St Saviour’s both in Poplar, Bangabandhu and William Davis both in Bethnal Green, Old Palace in Bromley-by-Bow, St Mary & St Michael in Shadwell and St Luke’s in Millwall.
Other Tower Hamlets ‘gold’ winners were Mayflower in Poplar, Mowlem and Kobi Nazrulin both in Bethnal Green, Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs, St Peter’s London Docks in Wapping, Stebon in Limehouse, Wellington in Bow, Bygrove in Poplar and Clara Grant in Bromley-by-Bow.
Another 12 getting ‘silver’ awards were Marner in Bromley-by-Bow, St Elizabeth’s, Stewart Headlam and Olga all in Bethnal Green, English Martyrs in Wapping, Halley in Stepney, Hermitage in Wapping, St Paul with St Luke and St Paul’s Way Foundation both in Bow Common, Ben Jonson in Stepney, Arnhem Wharf in Millwall and Swanlea Secondary in Whitechapel.
Schools in the programme encourage children to develop resilience and make their own healthy decisions.
A ‘sugar smart’ campaign has been run by Tower Hamlets Council where pupils have been encouraged to avoid sugary sweets as part of a programme to reduce the East End’s child obesity levels over the years.
Seven-year-olds from Cubitt Town Primary also got their teeth into a campaign in 2016 to cut down on sugar when they took part in the national Change4Life campaign to reduce sugars in foods. The were scanning items with a new app on their smartphones and tablets at a nearby corner foodstore to choose items with less sugar content.
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