A blueprint for healthier futures

A new national framework published today outlines how schools and the NHS can build stronger, more systematic partnerships to improve the health, wellbeing and life chances of children and young people. This supports current national priorities on prevention, place-based care and opportunity.

A blueprint for education–health integration

This initiative has been developed by Windsor Academy Trust in partnership with six other school trusts, nine NHS trusts, the Confederation of School Trusts, the NHS Confederation and NHS employers. ‘Co-Creating Healthy Futures: Schools and Health – A Framework’ provides the first comprehensive, practical guide to integrating education and health for better outcomes.

The framework positions schools and NHS organisations as anchor institutions with shared civic responsibilities. It identifies opportunities for joint commissioning, shared governance and data-informed prevention strategies that align with the government’s Opportunity Mission. This aims to break the link between background and success. It also aligns with the NHS’ 10 Year Health Plan, which shifts focus from treatment to prevention and community-based care.

Practical steps for local collaboration

It sets out clear, evidence-informed steps for implementation, including:

• establishing local gateways for collaboration between school trusts, Integrated Care Boards and Public Health teams
• using schools as neighbourhood hubs to co-locate services and improve access for families
• developing joint workforce strategies to grow the next generation of NHS professionals

The framework launches today at a parliamentary event with minister for early education, Olivia Bailey MP.

Real world impact

Through this initiative, the government intends to design joint programmes that improve attendance, attainment and wellbeing. It aims to do this while also easing pressure on overstretched NHS services through earlier intervention and more accessible local support.

An example of this in practice is Goldsmith Primary Academy in Walsall, part of Windsor Academy Trust. This school created an early years community health hub with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and Public Health Walsall. It hosted parenting workshops, health visitor drop-ins and wellbeing sessions on the school site. The hub makes parental support easy to access in a trusted environment. The initiative has improved attendance and engagement, strengthened family confidence in local services and provided early help for children.

Sector chiefs urge united action

Dawn Haywood, chief executive of Windsor Academy Trust said:

“The wellbeing and future success of children depend on a holistic approach that connects education and health, because where we see educational inequalities, we also see health inequalities: they coexist.”

“Schools and health providers both serve as vital anchor institutions within their communities. When we work together across sectors and systems, our combined efforts become a powerful force for public good. This framework captures that spirit of collaboration, offering a shared roadmap for creating healthier, fairer and more hopeful futures for every child.”

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“If we are serious about prevention, about reducing demand on acute services and improving lifelong health, then our work must start with children and young people. The foundations of good health are laid early.

“This framework recognises that schools and NHS trusts serve the same communities, often facing the same challenges, and that when we work together, we can deliver far more than the sum of our parts.”

Leora Cruddas CBE, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts said:

“This framework shows what it truly means for our public institutions to act as civic leaders rooted in place, working together across boundaries and committed to the wider common good.

“This is a blueprint for how civic collaboration can help renew our communities and strengthen the fabric of public life.”

Leaders within education and health agree that a unified, evidence-based framework can transform both sectors into collaborative anchor institutions. This should create practical pathways to improve children’s wellbeing, reduce inequalities, and strengthen communities for the long term.