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5
HEALTH EDUCATION IN SENIOR SCHOOLS
Report from Miss Elliott:-
Talks to school children about the effects of smoking on
health presented an opportunity to suggest a longer series of
health talks for senior school children.
The syllabus covers fourteen weeks or one term, and each
lesson lasts just under an hour each week. It has been called
"Community Health" or "Your Life in Your Hands". It is
designed for school leavers, to give practical help and understanding
on common health matters which may be encountered in
the future, so that they may take sensible preventive action.
The first part of the syllabus deals briefly with the diseases
of yesterday and why they are not seen today. The second group
of lessons covers the cause, effect and prevention of infectious
and nuisance diseases. Local, national and international health
services are explained and are followed by a group of lessons on
nutrition, personal health and hygiene and family relationships
or 'living with other people'. The course concludes with an
interesting and lively lesson given by members of the Fire Service.
Throughout the course the adverse effects of smoking are emphasised
from as many angles as possible. Visual aids, including
brightly coloured flannel-graphs, films and film-strips are used
as illustrations and members from certain sections of this department
gave some of the talks.
A pilot course was given at Ashburton secondary Modern Boys
School, where the help and co-operation of the staff was very
much appreciated. The course is continuing there and is also
being run in three other Secondary schools and we hope others
will include it too. when these courses are really well established
we plan to provide teaching kits (of notes and some visual
aids) which may be used by teaching or public health staff, with
perhaps in some instances, outside help for lessons on vaccination,
immunisation and public health services.