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News | 15 January 2025

#movewithIES: An expansion of student health to enhance student wellbeing

Student wellbeing is a key part of what Internationella Engelska Skolan offers, with dedicated student health teams in every school. Recognising that thriving students learn better, we've introduced the #movewithIES initiative in many of our schools. This is part of a broader commitment to enhancing student health, and #movewithIES is specifically designed to increase daily physical activity and improve overall student health—physically, socially, and mentally.

Helena Lüning, director of student health for IES, said: "Addressing health holistically requires a continuous approach that permeates the entire school day, not just during physical education classes."

Studies from organisations like Generation Pep have shown that active, healthy students have improved focus and learning abilities. This aligns perfectly with our ethos of high academic standards and a calm, secure learning environment. At IES, student health is integrated into every aspect of our operations.

Andjela Dimitrijevic, health initiative manager for #movewithIES, explained: "The curriculum states that schools should strive to offer all students daily physical activity throughout the school day. However, this isn't always the case in all schools, and simply exercising during breaks isn't enough."

Following the pandemic, there has been a dramatic decline in the health and wellbeing of children and young people. This was the catalyst for the launch of #movewithIES. This health initiative from IES is already running in nearly half of our schools, 23 in total, and the ambition is to roll it out to all schools. It provides a structured and systematic approach to promoting health and proactive health work, which is the responsibility of our student health teams. The goal of #movewithIES is to gradually introduce components that will eventually enable our schools to become certified "Generation PEP Schools." These components include physical activity both inside and outside of lessons, healthy and nutritious food, lessons focused on mental health, and the development of schools' sustainability efforts.

Ms Dimitrijevic said: "Through #movewithIES, we offer a variety of activities during breaks to motivate and inspire students to be active. This not only benefits their physical health but also improves their social wellbeing. It has been shown to reduce conflicts on the playground. The initiative also helps students stay active throughout the school day by encouraging teachers to incorporate 'brain breaks' that allow students to get up and move during long lessons."