When we talk about improving outcomes for children and young people, we often separate education and health.

Yet the reality is simple: health and learning are inseparable. Where we see educational inequality, we see health inequality, too. If we want every child to thrive, we must tackle both together.

That’s the driving force behind Co-Creating Healthy Futures: School and Health Framework, developed by Windsor Academy Trust with partners across education and the NHS.

The framework sets out practical steps for schools and health organisations to work together, including opening gateways to collaboration, preventing health issues in children and young people, bringing neighbourhood health services onto school sites and inspiring the future NHS workforce.

It was designed with implementation in mind. Collaboration sounds simple, but building and sustaining meaningful partnerships between schools and health services requires structure, persistence and trust.

It outlines five key steps for schools and NHS partners ready to take action:

1. Know who to contact

One of the biggest barriers to collaboration is knowing where to start. Both sectors are complex and organised differently across regions.

The framework identifies strategic gateways, such as health and wellbeing boards and children and young people’s partnership boards, and key roles to approach, from integrated care board leads to directors of education.

Schools can also begin locally by connecting with public health teams, school nursing leads or community health managers to build early momentum.

2. Initiate dialogue and build relationships

Once the right people are identified, purposeful conversation is key. Early discussions should focus on shared challenges and priorities.

Start small by piloting a local initiative or hosting an informal meeting to explore collaboration. Recognising each sector’s calendar (the academic year for schools and April to March for the NHS) helps build mutual understanding.

3. Establish clear communication channels

Consistency matters. Designate named contacts on both sides and schedule regular touchpoints such as short updates, shared planning meetings or existing multi-agency forums.

Using digital platforms to share information also strengthens coordination and accountability.

4. Foster a culture of collaboration

Partnerships thrive when grounded in shared values and clear intent. Agreeing a collective vision - for example, improving attendance or promoting mental wellbeing - ensures everyone is working towards the same goal.

5. Develop joint initiatives and programmes

Finally, collaboration must move from talk to action. Start with practical, visible work - co-delivering health workshops, hosting school-based clinics or running preventative campaigns.

Using shared data (with appropriate safeguards) helps measure both immediate and long-term impact, while regular reflection keeps initiatives responsive and effective.

From our experience, and that of our partners, several lessons stand out:

• Appoint named contacts: trust grows through consistency.
• Be mindful of pressure points: from exam season to winter pressures, timing matters.
• Celebrate small wins: progress builds confidence and momentum.
• Embed collaboration into policy, not goodwill: formal agreements and shared objectives make partnerships sustainable.

Putting it into practice: Walsall’s story

At Goldsmith Primary Academy in Walsall, one of the most disadvantaged communities in the region, these principles are already making a difference. Working with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and Public Health Walsall, the school has become an early years community health hub, a place where education, health and family support meet.

Parenting programmes, early development workshops and sessions on topics such as toilet training, managing minor illnesses and healthy eating are now hosted on the school site. Families can access advice in a familiar, stigma-free environment.

The impact has been tangible: improved attendance, stronger parental engagement and greater confidence in local health services. It’s a powerful example of prevention in action, bringing care to where families already feel safe and connected.

A shared civic responsibility

The framework sees schools and health organisations as civic partners rooted in their communities, each with the power to make a lasting difference when they act together.

For schools, this isn’t about becoming healthcare providers. It’s about understanding the social determinants of learning and using our collective influence to create conditions in which every child can thrive.

Change starts locally, through relationships and shared purpose. The Co-Creating Healthy Futures framework offers a roadmap, but it’s people, not papers, who will bring it to life.

By working together across systems and sectors, we can ensure every child, in every community, has the health, support and opportunities they need to flourish.

Dawn Haywood is chief executive and Claire Gething is executive leader at Windsor Academy Trust

You can now get the UK’s most-trusted source of education news in a mobile app. Get Tes magazine on iOS and on Android