Health Promoting Schools Framework

Making every school a health promoting school: a new model for health and wellbeing  

The 2021 World Health Organisation (WHO) Global standards for health promoting schools builds on the 1995 Health Promoting Schools Framework5  (HPSF) by emphasising a whole-systems approach. While both prioritise creating environments that support health and learning, the 2021 standards are more comprehensive, aligning health promotion with global education systems and addressing broader determinants of health such as equity and inclusivity.  

The 1995 WHO HPSF primarily focused on individual school-level interventions and defined 3 key characteristics or ‘pillars’ of the framework: curriculum, teaching and learning, ethos and environment, and partnerships and services5 .   

In contrast, the 2021 standards advocate systemic policy integration, measurable outcomes, and collaboration across education, health, and community sectors. The updated framework also reflects current challenges, including mental health, climate change and digital health literacy, which were less prominent in 19951. 

Overall, the 2021 standards modernise and expand the scope and accountability of health promotion in schools globally.  

There are two distinct components of the Global standards for health promoting schools1.  

  1. implementation guidance: for all levels of government 
  2. global standards and indicators: for all health promotion stakeholders 

Co-designing health promoting schools – A student perspective 

Health promoting schools (HPS) should draw from empowering strategies, which involve all stakeholders, including professionals, as well as foster the active participation of pupils. It is vital to engage with students in the co-design of actions or projects which that concern their health and wellbeing, as well as their academic achievement. This is the end goal of the HPSF.  

  • for an international example of a co-designed HPS, see Uplift: student engagement in HPS roadmap. This resource was created through the UpLift Partnership (2019–2024), a school-community-university partnership that supported HPS in Nova Scotia, Canada https://www.upliftns.ca/roadmap/9.  
  • for a national example of co-designing with students, see Orygen10.   
  • for examples of co-design in WA schools, see case studies 1 and 7 in the What is a health promoting school? book.  

Health literacy 

Health literacy can be understood as an individual’s ability to gain access to, understand and use health information and services in ways that promote and maintain health and wellbeing11.   

The Australian Curriculum HPE focuses on developing knowledge, understanding and skills related to the 3 dimensions of health literacy:   

  1. functional dimension: researching and applying information relating to knowledge and services to respond to a health-related question. 
  2. interactive dimension: requires more advanced knowledge, understanding and skills to actively and independently engage with a health issue and to apply new information to changing circumstances.   
  3. critical dimension: the ability to selectively access and critically analyse health information from a variety of sources (which might include scientific information, health brochures or messages in the media) to take action to promote personal health and wellbeing or that of others12.   

Consistent with a strengths-based approach, health literacy is a personal and community asset to be developed, evaluated, enriched and communicated11.   

 

References:

  1. World Health Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2021, June 22). Making every school a health-promoting school – Global standards and indicators. Retrieved November 3, 2024, from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240025059
  2. World Health Organization (WHO) (n.d.). Health promoting schools. WHO Health Topics. Retrieved January 21, 2025, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-promoting-schools#tab=tab_1
  3. Pulimeno, M., Piscitelli, P., Colazzo, S., Colao, A., & Miani, A. (2022). School as ideal setting to promote health and wellbeing among young people. Health Promotion Perspectives, 10(4), 316–324. https://doi.org/10.34172/hpp.2020.50
  4. Runions, K., Dr, & Cross, D., Prof, (2022, May 1). Student and staff mental health and wellbeing. Student and Staff Wellbeing. Retrieved May 10, 2025, from https://isa.edu.au/documents/report-wellbeing-of-students-and-staff/
  5. WHO Global School Health Initiative & World Health Organization. Health Education and Promotion Unit. (1998, January 1). Health-promoting schools: A healthy setting for living, learning and working. Institutional Repository for Information Sharing. Retrieved November 3, 2024, from https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/63868
  6. World Health Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2021, June 22). Making every school a health-promoting school – Implementation guidance. Retrieved November 3, 2024, from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240025073
  7. World Health Organization (WHO) (1997, January 1). Promoting health through schools: Report of a WHO Expert Committee on Comprehensive School Health Education and Promotion. Institutional Repository for Information Sharing. Retrieved November 3, 2024, from https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/41987
  8. Government of Western Australia Department of Education (2024, September 13). Student Behaviour in Public Schools Procedures. Retrieved March 3, 2025, from https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/63868
  9. Uplift (n.d.). Student Engagement in HPS Roadmap. UpLift Partnership. Retrieved April 17, 2025, from www.upliftns.ca/roadmap
  10. ORYGEN (2024). Co-designing with young people – the fundamentals. ORYGEN Revolution in Mind. Retrieved March 13, 2025, from https://www.orygen.org.au/Training/Resources/Service-knowledge-and-development/Guidelines/Co-designing-with-young-people-The-fundamentals
  11.  World Health Organization (WHO) (2024, August 5). Health literacy. Fact Sheet Health Literacy. Retrieved January 21, 2025, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/health-literacy
  12. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (n.d.). Health literacy. Health and Physical Education Key Ideas. Retrieved November 19, 2024, from https://v8.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/health-and-physical-education/key-ideas/

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