Bundaberg Special School - Healthy School Community

Bundaberg Special School (the School) has 99 students that have intellectual impairment and/or another significant disability.  Students are aged between 5 and 18 years old with a significant range of mobility and needs.  Students with disabilities have particular challenges accessing community based sport due to limited physical ability impacting on technique or intellectual ability to understand rules and social norms.

The School formed a partnership with Queensland Health through the Bundaberg Health Service District Community Nutritionist to educate and support the parents, students and staff to increase their knowledge and participation of eating well and being active.

98% of parents who participated in the parent education programs believed it was highly beneficial.  The School worked with the community dietician to develop a nutrition program to develop skills in shopping, budgeting, healthy lunchbox ideas and practical cooking sessions.  The parents also established their own self-sustaining community kitchen where they plan, shop for and cook together each week with guidance and support from the Community Nutritionist.

The School also introduced a daily water and fruit break during the morning classes to support attention to learning and nutritional education.  Parents are very supportive and send in a piece of fruit or vegetable each day.

To increase student participation in physical activity, the School had specialised equipment manufactured suitable for the students' needs.  Each classroom now has a kit of sporting equipment which is used daily during physical activity sessions and lunch breaks.  Teachers also benefited from the implementation of a structured Physical Education program and improved their skills to assist students through training by a human movement trained teacher aide.

The teachers, staff and some of the older students at the School participated in the 10 000 Steps Challenge.  The School made pedometers available for hire or subsidised purchase for staff, parents and students.  This project motivated many of the staff to begin to lose excess weight.  Three of the staff members have used this program, in conjunction with other strategies to lose over 30kgs each!

A Queensland Government grant of $28 150 was provided under the Eat Well Be Active Community Partnerships Program to deliver this project.