Theoretical framework: International agencies have reported the importance of considering health promotion in planning educational strategies and school management. This approach has been considered even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage students learning and health (Colao et al., 2020; OECD, 2020; Reimers and Schleicher, 2020; WHO, 2021). In particular, the Health Promoting School (HPS) approach is recognized as the most effective strategy. It offers a useful framework for developing a vision that can guide health and educational systems’ responses to COVID-19 informed by concern for quality, equity and well-being (WHO, 2021). The HPS approach acknowledges that learning and health are closely linked, aims to promote individual and organisational change, recognises that all school aspects can impact students’ health, and provide specific health education and promotion programmes and services (Turunen et al., 2017; WHO, 1998). During the pandemic health promoting schools have implemented several strategies and policies to decrease the negative effects of the pandemic to schools and school community. This paper aims to identify the benefits of using an HPS approach to guide educational and school policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resources that facilitated the HPS implementation in Italy. Moreover, the health promotion measures implemented in Italy during COVID-19 are investigated and the differences between regions are described. Method/methodology: The qualitative results about HPS benefits and resources for implementation are based on two qualitative studies with educational leaders from the HPS Network in the Lombardy region in northern Italy. One study was realized at the end of the first school year of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020; the second study was carried out at the end of the second year in May 2021. Both studies follow a participatory approach and collect data through forms with open-ended questions and group meetings. The implementation of health promotion measures has been investigated through a quantitative study based on an online survey administered to school principals of all Italian regions. This study is part of the COVID-19 Health literacy School Principals Survey international project. Both studies involve school principals, according to their key role in school health promotion and COVID-19 management (Dadaczynski and Paulus, 2015; Harris and Jones, 2020).

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