Enhancing schools’ responsibility for promoting health and wellbeing from a pro-active, transformative perspective: a participatory-process-orientated approach

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Date

2025

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract

In the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Conceptual Policy Framework, an integrative framework for the development of inclusive, rights-based schools, health promotion is identified as a key priority area. In the South African context, health promotion in schools has been foregrounded since 1999 and in 2012 the Integrated School Health Policy was developed. The application of the whole-school approach has made a valuable contribution to address health issues and create awareness of preventative interventions. However, schools are not equipped to take responsibility for the promotion of health and wellbeing from a pro-active and transformative perspective. In response to this limitation, participatory action research was conducted to establish how the the development of a holistic school wellbeing (HSWB) process aimed at enhancing health and wellbeing from a pro-active and transformative perspective, enabled six South African schools to sustain this process over a period of seven years. In this article, the development of the HSWB process is described and presented as as a basis for indicating what a participatory- process-orientated approach aimed at enhancing schools’ responsibility to promote health and wellbeing from a pro-active transformative perspective, could encompass.

Description

Keywords

Care and Support for Teaching and Learning, health promoting schools, participatory action research‌, Health promotion, South Africa

Citation

Kitching, A.E., 2025. Enhancing schools’ responsibility for promoting health and wellbeing from a pro-active, transformative perspective: a participatory-process-orientated approach. International Journal of Inclusive Education, pp.1-16.