The school curriculum and the W.H.O. : Health for all by the year 2000.

This research describes the relationship between the school curricula of two schools in Sheffield and the World Health Organisation's targets 'Health for All by the Year 2000' (HFA 2000).A review of the literature reveals a range of initiatives have been established to promote and develop HFA 2000, although those relating to school education are small scale and few in number.The research methods used include conducting case studies in the two schools over one academic year. A variety of lessons were observed in a primary and a secondary school, questionnaires were issued to teachers and pupils in both schools and a number of pupils, teachers and the Local Education Authority health education advisor for Sheffield were interviewed.The results indicated that some of the WHO targets were being addressed by the school curriculum although this was by chance rather than by design. Opportunities to address this health initiative through the school curriculum were being lost due to a lack of communication from WHO to the education service.The issues arising were that with the introduction of the National Curriculum in UK schools, non-statutory subjects like health education rely more for their implementation on the interests of individual teachers. The place of health education is at risk in the curriculum due to pressures on the timetable to cover all of the statutory subjects and if its place in the curriculum is to be maintained, health education must become part of the statutory curriculum in its own right. If health education is to be successfully delivered to pupils of school age, a strengthening of links must occur between schools, families and communities.