Living Well Schools Newsletter
End of the Academic Year 2025–26
Article 1: Celebrating Bradford Girl Power!
Article 2: 'Young Marketeers' at Darley Street Market
Article 3: Successful Pilot Year of Free Staff CPD
Article 4: Free Poverty Workshop for Schools
Article 5: Living Well School Grants
Article 6: Free School Meal Expansion (Sept 2026)
Article 7: JU:MP Supporting School Physical Activity Provision into 26/27
Article 8: Bang In Some Beans - Autumn 26
Article 9: Back to School Loan
Article 10: Let's Move Campaign - £75 Gift Voucher Incentive
Article 11: Check Out These Other Quick Links
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A Little Thanks from Our Team Manager, Mandy |
Dear Living Well Schools,
It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege working with you and the Living Well Schools team this year.
As the school year draws to a close and you begin a well-deserved summer break, it also marks my first anniversary working in Public Health. It has been fantastic to see the wide range of projects and initiatives delivered throughout the year, including:
- Delivery of commissioned physical activity programmes, including IMAS, OPAL and Bradford Girl Power, including their celebration events.
- Development and delivery of our CPD programme, including a YouTube channel where sessions can be accessed at a time that suits school staff.
- Leading a Pupil Voice Summit focused on Climate Action.
- Launching our free PSHE resource for schools.
- Delivery of commissioned eating well programmes, including FoodSavers Cookery School Workshops, Eat Them to Defeat Them 2026 and Young Marketeers at Darley Street Market.
- Introducing the Living Well School Grants programme, which supported projects across nine secondary schools.
- Developing and expanding the resources available on our website, including processes to standardise quality assuring providers.
We are looking forward to the 2026/27 academic year and to continuing to develop new ways of supporting our schools. Planned developments include extending the grants programme to primary schools, introducing a new commissioned project to support girls' participation in sport and physical activity, expanding our CPD offer, creating a quicker and easier way for schools to profile/assess how we can support, and hosting an event to share good practice and strengthen engagement with even more schools.
Your Living Well School Leads will continue to support access to resources and information next year and will work alongside schools to provide tailored support to meet your needs.
Thank you for your commitment and partnership throughout the year. Have a fantastic summer break, enjoy the sunshine, and we look forward to seeing you in September.
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Celebrating Bradford Girl Power!
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Inspiring and empowering girls in sport!
See Sporty Be Sporty, led by Natalie, recently hosted a celebratory event for the Bradford Girl Power project. Schools from across the Bradford District were invited to come together at City Hall to celebrate the project's impact on empowering and motivating girls in sports.
The event showcased the girls' achievements through quality presentations. Every school received a certificate for their amazing work, and the schools which received the trophy... Barkerend and Cottingley!
Special thanks to the judges panel including surprise stars; Rachel Pilling (fell running champion), Rebecca Jones (British cycling), and Lucy Pickersgill (preparing for a cycling challenge around the world).
The event highlighted the importance of promoting girls' involvement in sports and physical activity within schools. Shout out to the school staff involved, girls and Nat for making this a success!
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'Young Marketeers' at Darley Street Market |
Six Bradford primary schools working with Grow to School swapped their classrooms for market stalls as Young Marketeers!
A huge congratulations to pupils from Thackley Primary School, Co-op Academy Penny Oaks, Westminster C of E Primary School, Ryecroft Primary Academy, Carrwood Primary School, and Heaton St Barnabas Primary School, who did an incredible job selling fruit, vegetables and plants they had grown themselves. The event gave children the opportunity to put their gardening, teamwork and business skills into practice while engaging with members of the public.
Every penny raised from the market day will be donated to Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank, supporting a fantastic local cause.
The initiative is delivered by School Food Matters in partnership with Grow to School and funded by Living Well Schools, Bradford Council. The programme helps children learn where food comes from, promotes healthy eating, and encourages outdoor learning experiences.
All of the children involved should feel incredibly proud of their achievements. Thank you to everyone who came along to support this brilliant project and help make the day such a success.
Read more about the project in Bradford's Telegraph & Argus:
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Successful Pilot Year of Free Staff CPD
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So many of you have benefited from free training this year!
This year through Living Well Schools we provided free staff CPD, available to all school staff across the district: one session a month, online, and delivering the topics that are most pertinent to your schools right now.
It has been a huge success based on the feedback that we received. Many of you have commented on how informative and relevant the sessions were and how the learning has supported your roles as well as curriculum planning.
We will be back in 2026/27 with another free offer, taking on board all the feedback and suggestions from this year. Your Living Well Schools Lead will be in touch via email about the offer in the new year.
"I have attended several CPD sessions delivered through Living Well Schools and have found them to be incredibly informative, engaging and thought-provoking. These sessions have a fantastic way of bringing professionals together with a shared focus on improving outcomes, wellbeing and safeguarding for children and young people. I would highly recommend the CPD opportunities offered through Living Well Schools."
Teacher, Park Aspire AP Academy
Find our past CPD recordings here:
Bookmark our staff CPD page, new learning opportunities from September:
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Free Poverty Workshop for Schools
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With around 40% of children and young people in Bradford living below the poverty line, many schools are looking at ways to better support their pupils and families. Our free one-hour poverty workshop offers practical insights and approaches for all school staff.
A free one hour workshop session delivered by Living Well Schools covering the Bradford context of poverty and how poverty impacts education and health.
Workshop Aims & Objectives:
Defining poverty To look at the Bradford context of poverty To consider how poverty impacts education and health To understand the impact that poverty has on the school day To look at the current support your school provides to help alleviate the impact of poverty on the school day.
To look at what further support your school could potentially do or provide to help alleviate the impact of poverty further on the school day.
One of the outcomes of the workshop will be an opportunity for your school to work closely with your Living Well Lead to action plan and ultimately implement some of the recommendations highlighted in the workshop.
What teaching staff have said they learned from accessing the workshop:
“How poverty can have an impact on a child’s school day”
“Different things schools can do to help children suffering from poverty”
“How much we already do as a school!”
“What more we could do that would be simple to implement but very effective”
For more information:
Or contact your schools LWS lead or Paul directly (LWS team poverty lead):
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Living Well School Grants
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Living Well Schools has proudly launched its second year of grants for all Primary, Secondary, Special schools and Alternative Provision settings in Bradford.
The deadline to apply is Friday 31st July 2026 and all projects must meet at least 5 of our Living Well Schools priorities. Schools can apply for up to £5,000 and we welcome projects big and small. Please see the LWS Grants Guidance 2026 document for more details.
Applications to be submitted through our Living Well Schools – Grant Application Form via Microsoft Teams.Living Well Schools – Grant Application Form via Microsoft Teams. Here you will be asked for more details about your proposed project, timeline, and costs.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions:
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Free School Meal Expansion - September 2026 |
Any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be able to claim free school meals from September 2026.
Free Schools Meals in Bradford
The Free School Meals (FSM) team in Bradford are working hard to ensure that everything will be ready for the new school term and the expansion of FSM from September 2026.
For live updates:
For Schools: Overview of Free School Meals Guidance Update:
To download:
Government DfE Guidance on Free School Meals
- Free school meals: guidance for local authorities, local-authority-maintained schools, academies and free schools – click here
- Free school meals: guidance for schools and local authorities – click here
- DfE FSM policy team webinar aimed at headteachers, school business managers and other school staff in the delivery of FSM – click here
For Parents: Is Your Child Eligible for Free School Meals?
Your child may qualify for free school meals if you receive certain benefits. Any parent or carer in England can check here, even if your child's school isn't signed up. It's free to use (run by LGfL, an education charity) and you'll get an instant result checked securely against government records.
Free School Meals eligibility checker:
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JU:MP Supporting School Physical Activity Provision into 26/27
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Join us at JU:MP Schools to learn, enhance, and embed physical activity within your school culture to support holistic child development!
In the UK, approximately 80% of children are failing to achieve the national guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in school time. This is having significant, adverse effects on children’s physical health, mental wellbeing, behavioural and social development, and academic outcomes.
At JU:MP Schools, with the Living Well team, we strive to connect support schools to review their physical activity provision, plan for change against their review outcomes and school priorities, implement appropriate and feasible initiatives, and monitor change. Through this process we provide CPD, networking opportunities, and celebration events to learn from like-minded individuals, local schools and contexts, and professionals in various fields. We have found that by doing so, many schools are able to adapt their current provision in a way that suits their school needs, context, and demographic, integrating meaningful and sustained change. Come and join us in 2026-27!
- Read JU:MPs latest newsletter: click here
- You can read more about the jump-programme here: click here
- And learn more about the Creating Active Schools programme which we use to support your whole-school physical activity offer here: click here
If you would like to hear more, get in touch via
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Bang In Some Beans - Autumn 26 |
This programme helps schools and caterers to increase beans in schools, and parents to increase fibre consumption at home from September 2026.
Veg Power is on a mission to increase the UK’s veg, fruit and bean consumption and has revealed details of its Bang in Some Beans schools’ programme for primary and special schools launching in Autumn 2026. It has also urged caterers and schools to join them to help improve dietary health.
Focusing on fibre, as a topic to capture parents’ attention, the programme will support increased bean and pulse uptake with Veg Power pledging to help schools and caterers to increase more bean-based meals on the menu from this September.
To register your interest here:
To find out more:
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Back to School Loan |
This Bradford District Credit Union (BDCU) offer combines a £250 loan with a £50 savings Incentive ideal for individuals with low credit scores.
It’s more than just support - it’s a stepping stone towards:
- Building your credit profile
- Improving financial literacy
- Achieving financial stability
- Building a savings habit
Who and what is it for?
- Individuals with low credit scores
- New and Existing members (any previously held Back to School Loans with
- BDCU must be fully repaid prior to applying)
- Cost of Uniform, Clothing, Equipment and more
£50 Savings Incentive:
- £10 credited into your BDCU savings account within a month of your loan being issued
- £40 credited into your BDCU savings account within a month following full repayment of your loan
To apply:
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Let's Move Campaign -
£75 Gift Voucher Incentive
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Take part in the national Let's Move! campaign and inspire families across the country by sharing your family's journey to getting active together – with expenses covered and a £75 voucher as a thank you.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), with support from Sport England, is launching the Let's Move! campaign to encourage families to enjoy small bursts of movement together and help children achieve the NHS recommendation of 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
They’re looking for families to take part in a fun filming and photography project showcasing how moving together can be enjoyable, accessible, and achievable for everyone.
What's involved?
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Filming and Photography (August – date TBC) Families will spend a day trying out simple activities together while photography and video content is captured. A friendly coach will be on hand to make the experience fun and relaxed. We want to celebrate real family moments – from first attempts and wobbles to laughter and achievements. The content will be used across social media, including Instagram and Facebook, and in wider campaign materials to inspire other families.
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Optional Media Opportunities (September – date TBC) Families who are interested may also take part in media interviews during the campaign launch. This is entirely optional and would involve sharing your experience of the campaign and what you enjoyed about taking part.
As a thank you, all travel and reasonable expenses will be covered. Families who participate in the filming day will also receive a £75 gift voucher as a thank-you.
To find out more, please contact Charley Cooper at:
Check Out These Other Quick Links:
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