Helping children develop their talents to the fullest requires looking at the issue from different perspectives. According to Monaïm Benrida, programme manager for Equal Opportunities, this is everyone’s responsibility: "It takes a village to raise a child. The ‘Healthy Primary School of the Future’ is such a village. It influences the entire triangle of home, environment and school in which children grow up. Children receive healthy food, additional exercise and an extended school day so that they can take part in all the activities. Healthy food connects home and school, because children will influence the shopping list and the choice of what to have for dinner.”

But the concept involves more than healthy food and exercise. It has an impact in several areas. Benrida: “The additional time at school is not only beneficial for the child, but also for the whole family. For example, one added benefit is that it gives parents more room to work. This is particularly beneficial for mothers’ participation in the workforce. This can make a major difference for families on low incomes.”

A unique collaboration in South Limburg

Exactly how the Healthy Primary School of the Future works is demonstrated by the implementation of this approach in South Limburg. Education providers, municipalities, local organisations, GGD South Limburg, the Province of Limburg and Maastricht University are working together there to address and improve the situation. It is a unique collaboration and therefore particularly interesting in the context of equal opportunities. The region genuinely wants to improve the current situation so that it can continue to make a difference now and in the future. After all, “what you invest now, you save later on healthcare and social services, because the generation growing up now has good access to the labour market and lives more healthily,” says Benrida.

What can you read in the magazine?

  • Maria Jansen, professor of Population-Based Health Policy at Maastricht University, explains why this form of education is particularly urgent in South Limburg.
  • Robert Housmans, Provincial Executive for Social Affairs, Care and Safety of the Province of Limburg, talks about the importance of a healthy population.
  • Andrew Simons, programme manager for the Healthy Primary School of the Future at education group Movare, discusses the concept in practice.
  • Maastricht University is studying the effects of the experiment over four years and presents the results of the first two years.
  • See an example of a daily schedule at a healthy primary school, including an example of a weekly menu.
  • Various schools, organisations and pupils share their experiences with the Healthy Primary School of the Future.

Download the magazine here.

The professional journal GLOS (Healthy Lifestyle at School) covered the practical implementation of the Healthy Primary School of the Future in the following two articles:

  • · Read the article about BS Langeberg in Brunssum, which focused primarily on exercise.
  • · Also read the article about OBS Wereldwijs in Landgraaf, which focused on nutrition, exercise and biorhythms.

This website previously published an article about the interim evaluation.

View De Volkskrant’s interactive Health Map here.