Health promotion in schools, including the development of a safe learning environment for students and school staff, has gained increased research attention over the last decade (e.g. Leahy & Simovska, 2017). As the Covid-19 pandemic is challenging schools and education systems worldwide, health promotion in schools has gained increased attention, building on increased research over the last decade (e.g. Leahy & Simovska, 2017). The present situation highlights the need for national and local authorities, school principals and community actors to collaborate to promote good health habits, not least because schools are at the heart of local communities, and health promotion in schools can impact the whole community positively. This is in line with the Health-Promoting Schools (HPS) framework developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006, which (a) incorporates a formal health curriculum, (b) takes account of the school ethos and environment and (c) fosters engagement with families and communities (WHO, 2006). Health promotion in schools should address social and emotional health (ibid.) in addition to good physical health practices (including Covid-19 control measures). This broader focus is especially important in the context of recent and possible future lockdowns and social distancing, which restrict public life.

In countries that have implemented approaches that build on the HPS framework (e.g. Canada), studies have found positive effects and contributed knowledge about contextual factors on various levels (authorities, community and schools) that influence the implementation process (McIsaac et al., 2012). To date, most studies of health promotion approaches have been conducted in English-speaking countries. Several have demonstrated that health promotion initiatives are more effective when they extend beyond individual behaviours to encompass the entire organisation and, ideally, relevant external stakeholders (Dix et al., 2012). In addition, principals play a significant role in determining whether a school will become a healthy organisation and remain so (Rowling & Samdal, 2011). In all phases of school health development, principals are responsible for building and maintaining motivation (e.g. through vision building), supporting school staff to develop the skills needed for successful change, coordinating processes and activities and encouraging staff to maintain new practices and activities. To to take on this responsibility, they first need to establish a healthy work environment and stress coping strategies for themselves (Dadaczynski & Paulus, 2015). There is also evidence that principals play a key role in primary prevention of disease and injury (before occurrence) and in secondary prevention (to reduce the impact of disease or injury that has already occurred) (Lee et al., 2003).

More extensive international research and increased exchange between scholars conducting research in this area in different country contexts is needed. This need is all the more acute against the backdrop of a global health crisis such as COVID-19, as schools must take the lead in promoting healthy physical, social and emotional habits among their students, staff and the local community. This symposium includes papers synthesising previous research and reporting on ongoing empirical work in the area of school leaders’ health and health promotion approaches in schools and communities. The empirical work reported presents four different country perspectives: Canada (Nova Scotia), Malaysia, Sweden and Switzerland. The four countries differ according to health promotion experience in schools, and the presenters have backgrounds in school leadership research and public health. The presentations and the discussant’s comments will facilitate engaging discussions about approaches and challenges across country contexts that are highly relevant for a wider scientific audience.

Dadaczynski, K., & Paulus, P. (2015). Healthy principals–healthy schools? A neglected perspective to school health promotion. In Schools for health and sustainability (pp. 253-273). Springer, Dordrecht. Dix, K. L., Green, M. J., Tzoumakis, S., Dean, K., Harris, F., Carr, V. J., & Laurens, K. R. (2019). The Survey of School Promotion of Emotional and Social Health (SSPESH). School Mental Health, 11(2), 294–308. Leahy, D. and Simovska, V. (2017), "Critical perspectives on health and wellbeing education in schools", Health Education, Vol. 117 No. 5, pp. 430-433. Lee, A. and Cheung, R.M.-b. (2017), "School as setting to create a healthy teaching and learning environment: Using the health promoting school model to foster school-health partnership", Journal of Professional Capital and Community, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 200-214. McIsaac, J.-L., Sim, S. M., Penney, T. L., Kirk, S. F., & Veugelers, P. J. (2012). School Health Promotion Policy in Nova Scotia: A Case Study. Revue PhénEPS / PHEnex Journal, 4(2). Rowling, L., & Samdal, O. (2011). Filling the black box of implementation for health-promoting schools. Health Education, 111, 347–366. World Health Organization (2006). Constitution of the World Health Organization. Basic Documents, 45th edition, Supplement.