Royal Berkshire NHS LibGuides: NHS England Health Literacy Schools Toolkit: Professionals working in Schools

Connecting with schools

PSHE Association
The PSHE Association is the national body for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. We are a charity and membership organisation that supports a network of over 50,000 practitioners with teaching resources, guidance, advice and training.
How to develop health literacy in the classroom
Developing health literacy is building the knowledge, understanding and skills to research, apply and assess health information and services.

This is the fourth in a five-part video series on the five propositions of the Australian HPE curriculum from Monash researchers Karen Lambert and Justen O’Connor.
This is from Australia but they offer some great ideas and resources that could be used to develop new resources specific to your setting.
Health Literacy in schools
The aim of this SHE Factsheet is to provide an overview of current evidence on health literacy with a specific
focus on schools, pupils, and educational staff (including teachers, school principals, and school staff). It intends
to inform professionals and organisations working in and with schools (e.g. ministries, teachers, teacher training
institutions, stakeholders in school health promotion, educational administrators, and educational policy- and
decision-makers) on how health literacy can be addressed as part of the Health Promoting School (HPS) framework at an individual and organisational level. This Factsheet on health literacy in schools follows up on the SHE
Factsheet on Health Promoting Schools31 and has been carried out based on a rapid narrative review.
Source: Schools for Health

Health Professionals

Getting a Blood Test (KS3 -KS5)
Two videos produced by the Nemours Foundation, one shows a girl getting a blood test, the second is a phlebotomist explaining her role.

Dental Health KS1 & KS2

BRUSH DJ App

The NHS has created a free App to help children clean their teeth properly. Brush DJ is available for Apple and Android devices, free and with no in-app purchases. See the YouTube video below for an overview.

Take Care of Your Teeth Activity Booklet
An activity booklet produced by the CDC with information, colouring and puzzles suitable for children aged 4-8, designed to encourage good dental health.
English language version.
Take Care of Your Teeth Activity Booklet
An activity booklet produced by the CDC with information, colouring and puzzles suitable for children aged 4-8, designed to encourage good dental health.
French language version.
Take Care of Your Teeth Activity Booklet
An activity booklet produced by the CDC with information, colouring and puzzles suitable for children aged 4-8, designed to encourage good dental health.
Spanish language version.
Take Care of Your Teeth Activity Booklet
An activity booklet produced by the CDC with information, colouring and puzzles suitable for children aged 4-8, designed to encourage good dental health.
Tagalog version.

Science & Medical Science

The video above is created by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

It comes from their interactive website which you can access here: NASEM which provides a fascinating insight into the area of scientific/medical investigation and discovery. A brilliant resource for GCSE or A level science students (KS4 & 5) to investigate. Very useful for anyone conducting enquiry-based investigations or EPQ studies which are science based. Also useful as careers tool for anyone thinking of pursuing medical sciences.

Evidence to support planning

Adolescent health literacy and the Internet: challenges and opportunities
Adolescents have increasingly turned to the Internet as a resource for insight into their health questions and concerns. However, the extent to which adolescents will benefit from using the Internet as a source for health information will be determined in great part by their level of media literacy and health literacy. The purpose of this review is to explore challenges that adolescents face when using the Internet to access health information and opportunities for intervention.
How to teach Teenagers Health Literacy in the Age of Online Influencers
Among the vast landscape of content created by social media influencers, there is a significant number of videos, blogs, and photos focused on topics related to health and wellness. A quick search on YouTube for “what I eat in a day” or “my workout routine” provides an endless scroll of results.

This type of content may serve as a helpful resource for many individuals but can be dangerous for younger people who do not have strong media literacy or health literacy skills.
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Among the vast landscape of content created by social media influencers, there is a significant number of videos, blogs, and photos focused on topics related to health and wellness. A quick search on YouTube for “what I eat in a day” or “my workout routine” provides an endless scroll of results.

This type of content may serve as a helpful resource for many individuals but can be dangerous for younger people who do not have strong media literacy or health literacy skills.

Many social media influencers who promote a healthy lifestyle as part of their personal brand may put out regular content about topics ranging from clean eating — a diet free from processed items and focused whole, natural foods — to natural beauty and skin care products.

Online content has also become a means of making a profit for many social media influencers. Brands partner with individuals who have large followings to promote health and wellness products, such as vitamin supplements, “detox” teas and weight loss products.

The potential problem lies in an individual’s ability to assess the credibility of this type of content, as well as their knowledge on how to safely apply health information to meet their personal needs.

Health literacy in childhood and youth: a systematic review of definitions and models
The research presented in this review addresses this gap by providing an overview and synthesis of current understandings of health literacy in childhood and youth. Furthermore, the authors aim to understand to what extent available models capture the unique needs and characteristics of children and young people.
School Nurse Toolkit: Improving Young People's Health Literacy
Media use and attitude report 2019
This report provides evidence on media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young
people aged 5-15, as well as about the media access and use of young children aged 3-4.
How Adolescents Search for and Appraise Online Health Information: A Systematic Review
Objective To conduct a systematic review of the evidence concerning whether and how adolescents search for
online health information and the extent to which they appraise the credibility of information they retrieve.

Creating eye-catching resources

Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform, used to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content. The app includes templates for users to use. The platform is free to use and offers paid subscriptions like Canva Pro.
Biteable - video creator
Biteable is a free-to-use intuitive video making software that is apt for beginners. If you are running low on budget or even getting started with your video presentations for branding or educational purposes, this tool serves you just right. Biteable hardly leaves out any type of videos you wish to create. There are hundreds of templates, layouts, and other settings that you can use at your convenience or edit them to suit your project brief. In short, it is a cost-effective video creation software for the effortless production of short videos or presentations.
Read more aboout Biteable here: https://videomakersreview.com/biteable-review/

Ideas for all ages

Graphic Medicine
Graphic Medicine is a site that explores the interaction between the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare. We are a community of academics, health carers, authors, artists, and fans of comics and medicine. The site is maintained by an editorial team under the direction of the Graphic Medicine International Collective

Recipes for Engagement

General Health Information

Dr Alex on Health - KS4 & 5
YouTube playlist by Dr Alex George, predominantly Covid-19 related information from a frontline Emergency Department in London.
Kids Health in the Classroom - Nemours (all age categories)
An American site run by a major children's hospital with content overseen by doctors. This section of the site contains free health-related lesson plans for PreK through 12th grade. Each Teacher's Guide includes discussion questions, classroom activities and extensions, printable handouts, and quizzes and answer keys
Healthy Humans, Healthy Bodies KS2 Reading List
Reading list of fiction and non-fiction suitable for KS2 featuring health-related and human biology content.
How the Body Works - Nemours Kids Health KS2
20 short animated movies describing how parts of the body work, suitable for children 7-11. There are activities, quizzes and word searches to accompany the videos.
Unicef COVID-19 Information Centre
The latest COVID-19 news and resources, as well as tips to protect you and your family.

Kay's Anatomy - suitable for Upper KS2 and KS3

ISBN 9780241452912

Easily accessible text and diagrams, an excellent introduction to the human body by former doctor, Adam Kay. Suitably disgusting and funny to attract a young readership.

Vaccinations

How to talk to your child about vaccinations
Help your child understand how vaccines work. This link contains text and a great 4-level video conversation between a doctor and a child, a parent, a PhD student and the chief of immunization for UNICEF.

Ideas to engage young people - 11+

TikTok introduces a new wellness hub
TikTok is trying to provide a positive environment to its users with several physical and mental material are now available on the app and gradually you will find more material on this app after few times when it gets popularity from the public. The topic will cover the area of public interest while the hub will showcase expert advice and brand partners on each category for further guidance of the users. People nowadays spend most of their time on mobile phones by using these types of apps and they do not find time to go gym for their health and many people cannot afford the payment for hiring an expert for such advice. The wellness Hub will aggregate all these resources into one single tool while also giving more tools to connect a large number of its users to relevant tips and ideas.

Ideas to engage children - 10 and under

Tiny Docs
This American, but these TED MED endorsed videos are highly accessile and fun cartoons to engage younger children or chikdren with addtio nal needs
Me First Resource Hub
Me first has been developed in partnership with health and social care professionals and children and young people. We want to collect and grow a hub of resources to share ideas and expertise in communicating with children and young people. The resource hub aims to promote peer to peer learning and contains resources that health and social care professionals have told us they have found helpful in their practice.

Advice for adults: parents, carers, teachers, librarians

Charlie and the C Monsters Film
A free film and print your own 16 page comic explaining what you need to know about the spread and prevention of COVID-19. This resource has been produced by Stickman Communications, an organisation which communicates across language, literacy and impairment barriers and which possesses the PIF Tick quality mark. There are many other resources available on their site, some require payment.
Contact
The charity for families with disabled children
National Autistic Society
UK charity for people on the autism spectrum and their families.
UNICEF Coronavirus Advice
Tips and advice for families about COVID-19

Diabetes

Diabetes Explanatory Videos (KS3)
A set of short videos designed for teens to explain Diabetes type 1, Diabetes Type 2, How Your Body Gets Energy, How insulin is made and used.

Living with disabilities and health conditions

Chatter Pack
Volunteer-run, special education needs and disabilities hub.
Publications include ADHD and Me by Claire Ryan.
Many carefully designed free resources.
Dwarfism (diastrophic dysplasia)- Emily's Story (KS3 - KS5)
Emily explains the challenges she faces living with diastrophic dysplasia.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Steven's Story (Video) (KS3 - KS5)
14 year-old Steven talks about the challenges he faces living with SMA.
Tourette Syndrome and Bullying
This is a comprehensive set of resources provided by the Centers for Disease Control (US) which includes advice for parents, schools, data and research. Some of the links are to American organizations but much of the content is useful for UK based users.

Physical Fitness

Dynamic Stretching (KS3 - KS5)
A series of videos demonstrating 8 dynamic stretching exercises to help prevent muscle tightness. Videos from the Nemours Foundation, reviewed by Kids Health medical experts.
Dealing with Sports Injuries (KS3 - KS5)
Explanations of the interventions that should be sought for different types of sports injury and a video by a physical therapist (American) detailing his job.
Sports and Exercise Safety (KS3 - KS5)
Lots of advice about staying safe and preventing injury whilst playing sport and exercising. Includes an animated video about concussion.

NHS England Health Literacy Schools Toolkit: Professionals working in Schools

Ideas to develop Health Literacy content for schools