The value of sending consistent messages about the importance of health to children cannot be overstated. We are now in the process of developing new programmes aimed at involving parents and carers more actively in school health education and helping them develop their own skills as parents. This work has already been piloted in Birmingham, Leicestershire and Yorkshire, receiving widespread acclaim and we are now looking for funding to extend this work into new regions.
We were delighted to receive official acknowledgment of our work in a recent Ofsted report on drug education and a commendation from the Under Secretary of State for Education and Skills.
In February we focused attention on the importance of partnerships to improve health education through a joint event with Making Sense of Health at the House of Commons. Prominent Government health spokespersons, Baroness Massey of Darwin and Professor Robert Winston, were amongst those highlighting the need to start education early and to achieve a more cohesive approach between government and non-government organisations.
