IT'S no wonder these pupils are smiling after they proved they are among the healthiest in Glasgow.

IT'S no wonder these pupils are smiling after they proved they are among the healthiest in Glasgow.

St Catherine's Primary in Balornock, in the north of the city, has achieved the highest number of excellent' classifications - eight out of nine - in the council's Health Promoting Schools review.

The team that visited the school praised the staff and pupils for the way they promoted healthy eating and exercise.

All the pupils from the school love to talk about sports and their dreams about taking part in Olympic Games one day.

Declan Mullen, 10, said: "My favourite athlete is diver Thomas Daley because he is so young and already at the Olympics."

Timesfile

THE health audit of Glasgow schools is a multi-agency approach - with assessors from the health board and the council - that examines the following criteria set by the HMIE:
1. Environment and resources
2. Leadership and management
3. Physical, social and health education
4. Ethos of the school
Linda Morris, of NHS Greater Glasgow, said the school staff was too humble about its achievements in the initial self-assessment.
"The team was impressed with the motivation and aspiration in children, and with the involvement of parents and the community.
They striving to promote health in school and were taking it home as well."

The approach to healthy living developed by the school makes it possible for the youngsters to dream.

Deputy head teacher Eileen Duffy said: "We are trying to buck the trend that north Glasgow has the poorest health record in the country.

"We are educating our children about health issues and getting their parents on our side to put into practice what we preach.

"We believe a healthy child has a greater capacity for learning."

As many as 130 nurseries, primary and secondary schools were inspected, with about two-thirds still to be visited in the course of the next year.

The initiative was launched by the Scottish Government, working with the council's education department, and NHS Greater Glasgow.

In the review of St Catherine's, special mention was made of the school environment, resources and facilities, and how staff, pupils and parents have worked closely to ensure achievements in health education were evident in the school.

A council spokeswoman said: "Health-promoting schools aim to develop all-round wellbeing of pupils and staff, and work with the community to identify the health needs of the whole school.

"This is a continuing programme intended to check how the schools are doing.

We are working within the guidelines published in the Being Well - Doing Well framework for health promoting schools in Scotland."

Spelling and maths are taught alongside new themes, such as how colours affect our lives and how to help a parent who feels stressed.

The whole school participates in a Health Day, which includes a wide range of activities for pupils and parents.

"We do judo," said Sean Macaleer. "I already have a brown belt, and I would like to teach karate."

Eating fruit and vegetables gets the pupils a star, and the team with the greatest number of stars at the end of the year will go on a special school trip.

Mrs Duffy said everyone at the school took credit for the award and the whole school was delighted.

"This success has been due to the tremendous teamwork of all staff, pupils and parents," she added.