Lancashire and South Cumbria schools go digital

Lancashire and South Cumbria schools go digital as a new health programme comes to the region.

An exciting and engaging digital programme for schools is coming to the North West later this year, combining healthcare and ‘apps’ with the national curriculum. ‘Digital Healthy Schools’ will see 20 secondary schools from across Lancashire and South Cumbria engaging with mobile apps to help them manage their health.

The programme has been designed in collaboration with teachers and students from across the country to join together national health and academic priorities, in an innovative initiative aimed at educating and engaging young people.

Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria, the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP), and ORCHA (the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications) are delighted to be collaborating across Lancashire and South Cumbria to bring this programme to the area.

Dr Amanda Thornton, Digital Health and Activation Clinical Lead for Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria, said: “Through the Digital Healthy Schools Programme we are encouraging children to take a pro-active approach to their own physical and psychological health needs.”

“We are very excited to be working in partnership on this programme; collaboration between schools, local government, and health and care is vital and we’re proud to be bringing the best in digital, health and learning to our children.”

Liz Ashall-Payne, CEO of ORCHA, said: “We’re seeing more and more health apps enter the market with 300,000 already active. This Programme therefore provides a secure and assured environment for children to find and use the best apps for themselves and their families.”

“We are looking for 20 motivated and forward thinking secondary schools from across the whole of the Lancashire and South Cumbria region. Having already signed up our first cohort of 10 schools, we are now just looking for the last few schools to complete our programme. We are particularly keen to encourage a geographical spread across the region if we can find the right schools.”

To date, the schools that have signed up are:

• Accrington Academy (Accrington)
• The Hollins High School (Accrington)
• Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School (Colne)
• Colne Park High School (Colne)
• Heysham High School (Heysham)
• Balshaw's Church of England High School (Leyland)
• St Cecilia's Roman Catholic High School (Longridge)
• Shuttleworth College (Padiham)
• All Hallows Catholic High School (Penwortham)
• Brookfield School (Poulton Le Fylde)
• Alder Grange School (Rawtenstall)
• The Hyndburn Academy (Rishton)
• Lathom High School (Skelmersdale)

Pictured above: L/R Pupils Angel Calberley 13 and Uwas Hussain 13 join Head Teacher Steve Campbell, DR Amanda Thornton, Alan Riley and Katie Webster aged 13 at The Hollins, Accrington.

Find out more about our work on digital health.