Getting Started

If you would like to be part of our school lifestyle programme, follow these steps:

Step 1: Contact RedBranch

Either call us or email us, and we will be able to answer your queries about the programme.  We will be more than happy to talk to you about any lifestyle issues regarding your school, whether or not you decide to run the programme.

Step 2: Designate a Liason Officer

This person will act as a point of contact between RedBranch and the school.  This is usually the principal, an interested teacher, or a member of the school health committee.

Step 3: The Lifestyle Audit

RedBranch will assist the school to carry out a lifestyle survey.  This involves having a representative sample of students fill out a short questionnaire during class time.  RedBranch provide the school with a master copy of the questionnaire, and advise the school on the most appropriate way of carrying out the survey.  Once the survey is complete, the school returns the results to us, and we process the data and compile a report for the school.  The school lifestyle report then forms the basis for setting lifestyle related goals within your school.  In secondary schools, the report may be administered by students as part of a project (e.g. LCA, Transition Year projects) or as part of SPHE.  A sample report may be viewed here.

Step 4: Goal Setting

RedBranch will discuss the results of the survey with you, and help you to establish clear goals.  Changing lifestyle habits may seem like a mammoth task...and make no mistake, helping young people to make healthier choices is indeed a challenge.  The goal setting exercise makes the issue more manageable, and allows progress to be tracked.  

Step 5: Implementation

Once an action plan has been agreed, RedBranch provide the school with a range of resources that can help.  These can be broadly grouped into three categories, educational support, school policy issues, and supply issues. RedBranch remain on hand to help the school for as long as our services are required.  We view the lifestyle programme as a continuous consutancy service, and we aim to help teachers, students and parents as issues arise.

Educational support involves direct support for curricular activities that relate to lifestyle issues (usually SPHE, but also Home Economics, Science and Biology). We can also help schools to use lifestyle-related themes in other subjects (like maths, English and art).