THE SCHOOL AS A SETTING TO PROMOTE STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLBEING

The Health Promoting School (HPS) is s a model that advances both the health and learning needs of students. Yet there is a lack of consensus on student indicators that reflect a HPS or a coherent understanding of what a HPS represents amongst various stakeholders. The goal of this research was to establish indicators of student health and wellbeing associated with policies and practices in schools, and to further our understanding of health promoting schools. The research proceeded in three phases. The first phase established a relationship between student health and academic achievement. The second phase examined the associations amongst student health and wellbeing and student and school-level factors. The third phase involved case studies of two schools in Ontario to examine the organisational and structural elements associated with achieving a HPS, and the mechanisms by which these elements support student health and wellbeing. The association between students ’ self-rated health and their academic achievement found in the first phase provides a platform for advancing the health promoting school agenda in Canada at the research and policy levels. Subsequent findings established an association between the environment and disciplinary climate in schools, and the school’s academic and socioeconomi