Your Health Barnet blog

Barnet Public Health and Health Education Partnership held the annual Barnet Healthy Early Years and Schools celebration event at Hendon Town Hall on Thursday (2 July 2026).

Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) and Healthy Schools London (HSL) are award programmes that work with settings and schools to improve children’s and young people’s wellbeing. The programmes focus on a whole school approach to various areas of health such as healthy eating, emotional health and wellbeing, and physical activity.

Activities and achievements have included:

• Menu changes following analysis to comply with School Food Standards and to provide healthier options
• An increase in children brushing teeth twice a day through oral health initiatives and training of staff
• Introducing healthy cooking sessions, and growing fruits and vegetables with which to cook
• Focus on staff wellbeing and the work environment
• Improving the emotional wellbeing of pupils to manage day-to-day challenges, resolve conflicts with peers and develop into resilient young adults.

The celebration event recognised the hard work done by settings and schools to achieve their awards, which were presented by the Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Zahra Beg.

There were presentations on examples of best practice and updates on Best Start in Life and new PSHE guidance for schools. Some school pupils helped lead a movement break to get everyone up and moving!

With special thanks to everyone who helped to make the event such a success, including:

• Cllr Beg, Mayor of Barnet, for attending and presenting the certificates.
• The presenters: Best Start in Life and Newstead Children's Centre (Oral Health); Holly Park Primary School (Emotional Health and Wellbeing); and Health Education Partnership (PSHE), for sharing your experiences and examples of practice.
• Cllr Alison Moore and Alison Poyiadjis for your kind words, thoughtful presentations and continued support of the programmes.
• ISS, who very generously provided the refreshments for the event.

Free guidance is available for early-years settings and schools, from the Health Education Partnership, to support their progress through the HEYL and HSL award levels.

Early-years settings and schools which have yet to register for the programmes, and would like to do so, should contact Barnet’s borough lead, Tania Barney, by emailing tania.barney@healtheducationpartnership.com

The Barnet Public Health team would like to congratulate all the early years settings and schools who are working towards or have achieved an award in the Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) or Healthy Schools London (HSL) programmes.