A Plymouth primary school is celebrating after achieving Bronze status within Livewell Southwest’s Wellbeing at Work Award programme and receiving recognition for its work to improve the health and wellbeing of its employees.

In order to achieve a Wellbeing at Work Bronze Award, businesses have to set up a working group, carry out a workplace needs assessment, a health and safety assessment and establish wellbeing champions who are responsible for helping colleagues to keep healthy.  Throughout the process they are supported by Wellbeing at Work Advisor who offers support and guidance.

Linda Mercer, teacher at High View Primary School said, “There was no doubt that High View would engage with the new awards launched in February 2019.  Not least because over the years the depth and breadth of the criteria for attainment of awards has reflected a broader and deeper understanding of what needs to be addressed to sustain improvement in the health and wellbeing of all employees.  High View has an embedded interest in new developments and appreciates the quality of presentations at forums which never fail to give more ‘food for thought’.  Indeed our staff questionnaire which goes beyond the areas of the Public Health England Workplace Health Needs Assessment is changing again following the December 2019 forum.  The engagement of staff and new staff soon realise this too, is pivotal to a culture of commitment to health and wellbeing and therefore following attainment of the Bronze Award, High View looks forward to engaging with the Silver Award.”

Jennifer Jenkins, Specialist Health Improvement Practitioner, said:  “High View Primary School pride themselves on having a well-established commitment to the promotion and management of health and wellbeing within the workplace.  The school has three trained wellbeing champions and five trained mental health champions. There is a whole staff approach to Wellbeing, not just a steering group, and staff are encouraged to make innovative suggestions.

High View Primary School will be presented with their award at the Wellbeing at Work Annual Update on 29th January at Boringdon Golf Club.