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“I am committed to the vision and implementation of a holistic approach to health, for all staff and students."
Jane Marshall, Healthy College Manager

A College Culture of Health and Wellbeing

Bradford College is committed to providing a Healthy College environment to improve the health and wellbeing of students and staff. We were one of the first Colleges in the country to be awarded full ‘Healthy College’ status and have been singled out for praise by the government for our work in this area.

Bradford College is a recognised Healthy FE College. The college actively engages its staff and learners in the promotion of health and well-being leading to increased performance and achievement.

Bradford College has received national acclaim as one of the first colleges in the country to officially be recognised as a Healthy Further Education College. The College has been granted the ‘Healthy FE Recognition Award’, following the College’s commitment to developing the health and wellbeing services for staff and learners.

Why a Healthy College?

In 2005 Bradford was labelled the ‘Fattest City in England’, with areas ranking 2nd & 5th most deprived in England, high death rates, and high incidence of serious conditions including coronary heart disease, strokes, diabetes and asthma.

During that time the Local Healthy Schools Programme was addressing health issues in the schools but nothing was being done for young people over sixteen. Bradford College saw it as an excellent opportunity to extend the good work delivered in schools to create a culture of health within the college community.

Jane Marshall was then appointed as Healthy College Manager - the only post of this kind in the country, demonstrating the commitment Bradford College has pledged to the promotion of health in the College.

‘A Practical Guide to Becoming a Healthy College’

Jane Marshall has recently written ‘A Practical Guide to Becoming a Healthy College’ in collaboration with Bradford College Web Journalist Helena Stylianou, in a bid to assist colleges and universities across the country implement a Healthy College Programme. To download a copy click here.

How Will You Benefit From Being Part of a Healthy College?

Since Jane’s appointment in 2007 she has implemented a wide variety of Healthy College initiatives. Jane explained: “These include: A Healthy College website packed full of useful help and information from back care advice to tips on healthy eating, health weeks and stress busting sessions where you can be pampered with Indian Head Massage or Reiki! All aimed at helping create a healthier lifestyle which can be carried on beyond college life.”

Jane continued: “As Healthy College Manager, I am committed to the vision and implementation of a holistic approach to health, for all staff and students. Total health and a healthy lifestyle comprise of more than just healthy eating and activity - environmental influences and social interaction are equally important too. We spend a lot of time at work, so it benefits us to be happy during the time we spend here.”

Jane added: “Our students have also been offered a variety of health initiatives such as free breakfasts, Chlamydia testing and condom distribution. All designed to help create a healthier lifestyle, which they will hopefully carry on into their working lives.”

Healthy College – Working in Collaboration with Leading Experts

Healthy College Manager, Jane Marshall has joined forces with a variety of sporting professionals, government officials and world renowned experts to deliver a variety of pioneering Healthy College programmes.’ Jane explained: “Not only are we interested in bringing in health initiatives, we also want you to meet experts in their field. That’s why we’ve worked closely with the Bradford Bulls, The World Natural Body Building Champion Jason Barnett and celebrity chefs from programmes such as Ready Steady Cook. We’ve got ambitious plans in the pipeline to work with Bradford Council to open a Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food outlet in the city. We are working in collaboration with Prof. Paul Gately, a world renowned expert on obesity and weight management to develop our weight management programme for students. We have also received backing from Minister for Sport, Mr Gerry Suttcliffe in our bid to tackle obesity.”

A Government Backed Initiative

Healthy F.E has now become a national government backed initiative. We are currently working with Tribal Publishing, who have been appointed to write the self assessment tool, which will be rolled out to all colleges in 2010. Bradford College has been specially selected as one of only a handful of colleges to pilot this initiative in September 2009. Through our pioneering Healthy College initiatives we have become a leader in this area, offering mentoring to other colleges.

The Benefits of Being Part of a Healthy College

So what does being part of a Healthy College mean for you? You will have the opportunity to access the appropriate advice and guidance about well-being so you can make informed choices about your health.

Studies have shown there is a clear link between Health College initiatives and bringing about a positive change in emotional and physical wellbeing. We are fully committed to creating an environment to improve the health and wellbeing of all the staff and students in the College.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions on how to make the College healthier and happier, please e-mail: healthycollege@bradfordcollege.ac.uk