Information for educational settings to help manage and maintain a healthy school community.

Health Protection

To keep pupils, staff and school communities healthy and manage cases of infectious in education settings, here are some helpful resources:

• School aged vaccinations - Dorset HealthCare delivers all the school-aged vaccinations through the school nursing team. This includes children who are home-schooled and in special educational needs settings.
   
• Managing specific infectious diseases - UKHSA has provided a useful A-Z guide to advise settings on managing infectious diseases and when you should contact the UKHSA SW Health Protection Team. Most infections can be safely and effectively managed by settings.
   
• Winter readiness - a toolkit to help early years and education settings with planning and preparation for winter infections and outbreaks which includes recordings of health protection webinars, posters, leaflets and a range of other resources.
   
• Hot weather advice - guidance for schools and early year settings from UKHSA on how look after children before and during hot weather.
   
• NHS advice on school and children's illness - schools can share NHS advice for parents on how to decide if children are too ill for school.
   
• Measles advice - we have published advice and useful information on measles which schools can share with parents. 
   

Mental Health in schools

Education settings play an important role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Here are some useful resources:

• Mental health services - there are a range of services in Dorset to support children and young people with their emotional wellbeing.
   
• Working with young people - resources are available to support you in your role working with young people.
   

Lifestyle support

Support and resources on a range of young people's health and wellbeing issues.
 

Drugs and alcohol

• Dorset Council area - schools in the Dorset Council area can signpost parents to EDAS/REACH, a free confidential drug and alcohol service for under 25’s. Young people can also talk to EDAS/REACH if they are being affected by another person's drug or alcohol use.
• BCP Council area - schools in the BCP Council area can signpost to parents to WithYou, a free confidential drug and alcohol service for under 18's living in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Smoking and vaping

• Read our public health position statement on vaping
• Use campaign resources from Smokefree Sheffield on the facts about vaping
• Read NHS Better Health's advice on young people and vaping

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

• Sexual Health Dorset offer teacher training for all secondary schools in the Dorset and BCP Council areas to support them to deliver RSE confidently and effectively using their Core Package that they provide schools for free.