Implementing and evaluating the National Healthy School Program in England

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to trace development of the National Healthy School Program (NHSP) from a global concept to implementation at the local school level in England with a view toward clarifying and, more importantly, determining if implementation is proceeding as planned, as evidenced by the presence of process evaluation. The NHSP is designed to serve as a catalyst for health promotion in schools by identifying core health themes linked to evaluation principles in the whole-school approach. In this analysis, process evaluation of the NHSP whole-school approach indicates that program data are collected and recorded, but these data are not used to form an evidence-based program implementation strategy to transform the data into action. The NHSP brings valuable concepts to the global school health community that should be embraced because schools are increasingly being recognized as key settings for health promotion activities.