Better Schools through Health: networking for health promoting schools in Europe

This article explains how health helps to create better schools. It focuses on the advantages of working as a network at a European level with direct links with schools, policy makers, practitioners and researchers. It describes the impact of networking on schools, what changes take place at the school level, and also at the regional and national level. The SHE strategic plan, which is a roadmap for the future development of the network until 2012, is summarised. Some examples of the results of networking are presented, including the work on developing indicators for health promoting schools within the European context. The article concludes with a report of the 3rd European Conference on health promoting schools held in June 2009 in Lithuania, with the Vilnius Resolution as its important outcome.