St Richard’s CE Primary celebrates Gold Healthy Schools London Award

St. Richard's CE Primary School in Ham has proudly received the prestigious Gold Healthy Schools London Award, recognising the school’s outstanding commitment to promoting the health and wellbeing of its pupils.

To celebrate the achievement, the school recently welcomed Joanne McCarthy, London’s Deputy Mayor for Children and Families, who praised the school’s efforts to embed healthy habits and sustainability into everyday learning.

The Healthy Schools London programme – backed by the Mayor of London and supported by Richmond Council – supports schools to create healthier, happier learning environments where wellbeing is woven into the fabric of school life.

St Richard’s journey toward Gold began in 2022 with a whole-school focus on ‘Healthy Eating and Living on a Sustainable Planet’. Their ambitious goals included increasing uptake of nutritious school meals, improving the quality of packed lunches, composting to reduce food waste, and even growing their own produce – some of which made its way onto the school salad bar.

Deputy Mayor McCartney said: “I congratulate the pupils and staff of St. Richards CE Primary School for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to health and wellbeing, and encouraging the development of lifelong habits.

“Their dedication to healthy eating and raising awareness of environmental issues is truly inspiring and sets a fantastic example for schools across the capital. As we build a better London for all, it’s wonderful to see young people so engaged in shaping a healthier, more sustainable future.”

During her visit, Deputy Mayor McCartney was given a special tour of the school by Year 6 students, offering a first-hand look at their health and sustainability initiatives. Highlights included:

• A TasteEd session with Year 3 and Year 4 pupils, where children created their own Eatwell Plates
• A visit to the early years play area, featuring a new climbing frame beneath a blossoming cherry tree – funded by the school’s parent association
• A colourful and creative Easter egg model display in the school hall

The visit concluded with a series of impressive student-led presentations:

• Year 3 students shared how they take home BriteBoxes each week to prepare healthy meals with their families
• Year 5 Eco Ambassadors explained their role in monitoring air pollution using the school’s weather station and raising a flag to indicate the air quality
• Year 6 students involved in the ‘Young Marketeers’ project described their farm visits, jam-and-chutney-making adventures and the experience of selling their creations at the school market, complete with a tasting session for the Deputy Mayor

Headteacher Mrs Sian Murphy praised the collaborative efforts that helped the school reach Gold status, highlighting partnerships with organisations including BriteBox, School Food Matters, Ham United Group, Roehampton University, and others.

“It is all about providing those opportunities for our children to enthuse them throughout the time they are with us. The school’s commitment to health and looking after our planet truly goes beyond our classrooms,” said Mrs Murphy.

The visit also marked another milestone: the school’s impressive retention of the Gold Travel for Life award – which they’ve held for more than 12 consecutive years.

Learn more about the Healthy Schools programme and how we work with local schools to improve children and young people’s health and wellbeing.