School effects research provide new and stronger evidence in support of the health-promoting school idea

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show how health education, and in particular health promotion school (HPS), can extend well beyond specific health education programmes to incorporate the school's physical environment, ethos, facilities and provisions, and "hidden-curriculum". Design/methodology/approach - The paper addresses the extent to which schools' performance in such as exam results can be explained by the characteristics of pupils attending it. Findings - In general, the results show that, in relation to educational outcomes, variation between schools is mainly due to the kind of pupils attending them. Less is known about other school differences in health behaviours such as drugs and alcohol use, though their association with smoking suggests this is likely, and very little is also known about "natural variation" between schools in pupils' physical or mental health. Originality/value - The evidence from "school effects" research on health suggests that, even in the absence of demonstrable evidence of impact, governments are on the right lines. The paper will be of interest to those in the fields of health and education.