Healthy Pupil Capital Fund 2018

£100m of revenue generated from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy was provided in 2018-19 for the HPCF.

This fund was to improve children’s and young people’s physical and mental health by improving and increasing availability to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions.

Wiltshire Council was allocated £246,870 for Community, VC and Foundation Schools.

Working with the public health team the funding was targeted at secondary schools, special schools, and the top 20% of primary schools with the highest levels of obesity. This was calculated using the data from the National Child Measurement Programme, aggregated from 2014/15 to 2016/17.

This resulted in 29 schools being selected, all of whom were eligible to claim £8,500 for appropriate projects.

These schools were contacted and asked to complete an electronic application form.  

A report was produced by Wiltshire Council Public Health in January 2020, on use of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in Wiltshire. This includes a summary of how Wiltshire schools spent the money that they received.  

Schools were recommend to: 

• Involve students in the decision-making process and selection of project/s e.g. using the school council or group of nominated pupils.
• If you took park in the Foster and Brown School Health Survey, use the summary report provided to identify priorities for investment. If you need to obtain a copy of your school’s report please contact Simon Hodsdon at simon.hodsdon@wiltshire.gov.uk.
• Use the School Health Needs Assessment provided by your school nurse. Your school nurse will be able to provide a copy of this assessment if necessary.

Some suggestions for Wiltshire schools

Possible uses of this funding: 

• Improve the school meal experience 

Refurbishment of dining spaces, to include seating and tables

What works well - The School Food Plan - making lunchtimes a positive social experience 

• Develop growing activities  

Creation or renovation of garden spaces for growing produce

Advice from The RHS campaign for School Gardening

• Support the provision of breakfast clubs 

Breakfast consumption appears to reduce with school phase. 87% of Wiltshire primary school respondents had breakfast most days or quite often. This fell to 64% of the Wiltshire secondary school sample (2017).  

In the 2017 Wiltshire Children and Young People's Health and Wellbeing Survey the top 3 areas of school support requested by primary school pupils were:

• Cooking skills (34%)
• Getting Fit (27%)
• Healthy Eating (21%)

This funding can support a school's Healthy Schools work, related to the Healthy Weight theme.

The majority of survey respondents  do not eat the recommended 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day. A large proportion of respondents from primary school and secondary school reported eating snacks once a day (40% and 41%). 

Schools can engage with the SUGAR SMART Wiltshire campaign to promote healthier eating.