31 PSHCE Our Health Education goes beyond the Health Centres and into the curriculum through the PSHCE programme. We help deliver the Health element of PSHCE, focusing on Sex and Relationships Education and Alcohol and Drugs in the Junior and Senior Schools and Sun Awareness, Hygiene and Bug Busting in the Infant School. By chatting to students, parents, the Heads of Year and other teachers we get a glimpse into what is relevant to young people today. Examples include fad dieting, smoking or risk taking such as experimenting with alcohol. We try and target the age groups when these concerns are likely to become an issue. Our open door policy encourages students to come and talk to us. We can meet on an individual basis especially in the Senior School where we work with students who have concerns relating to the teenage years. We are keen to encourage students to let us know what their worries are and we can then develop our services according to their needs. We are also happy to meet with parents to support them in helping and guiding their children through difficult and challenging times. Parents are welcome to drop into the Health Centre. Email address for our Health Centres can be found on the TTS Portal. Health @ Tanglin Portal If general advice is needed, the Health @ Tanglin pages on the TTS Portal provide lots of information including what to do if your child is unwell, our ‘bug busting’ method to deal with head lice, infectious diseases, vaccinations and bed wetting. We are continuously updating the pages
and new material is added on a regular basis. The Tips for Trips page is invaluable for those students who are taking part in residential trips around the region. Here you will find advice on vaccinations required including a printable information sheet which provides guidance for your GP when you go for a travel health consultation. The leaflet outlines all the details of the trip; which region, activities and vaccinations you may require, so the doctor is able to advise you on the correct immunisations. The TTS Portal is also used to raise awareness amongst the school community of circulating illnesses. If there are students with infectious illnesses such as chickenpox or head lice an alert will be posted on the front page of the TTS Portal with a link to advice about the condition. Of course, parents are always welcome to contact the Health Centre directly for support. Screening In August 2015 we are going to trial developmental checks in the Infant Health Centre starting with Visual Acuity tests. This is in line with UK Pre-School checks which are sometimes missed in an international setting. The aim of the exercise is to pick up vision issues at an early age, before it affects the student in the school setting. Health Promotion not only extends to students and their families but also to staff. Every September we welcome the Mammobus to school to carry out Mammograms for staff as part of our breast cancer awareness programme. A large group of staff also attend the Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF) Pink Walk each year. In November we encourage
the brave men of school to grow a moustache to promote awareness and raise funds for men’s cancer. The Health Centres always welcome staff to come in and check their blood pressure, weight and even blood sugar. As well as seeing one of our doctors who are here twice a week for our staff clinic, we also provide the opportunity for flu vaccinations, cervical cancer screening and vaccination advice. ‘There has never been a stronger focus on health and wellbeing of children and young people than there is today.’ Shribman S (2009) Department of Health. We therefore want to design the service we provide around the needs of our students; to guide and support them in making decisions about their health and wellbeing, enabling them to enjoy a healthy and happy future.