Twenty-two Uttlesford schools have been awarded Healthy Schools Awards by education authority Essex County Council.

Over 200 schools across the county received the foundation stage award for meeting 41 standards in emotional health and wellbeing, personal, social and health education, physical activity, and healthy eating.

For these schools, there is an opportunity to achieve an Enhanced Healthy Schools Award which involves further work on health and wellbeing priorities to support educational attendance and attainment.

The county council is currently working with over 500 schools on the Healthy Schools Award, with eight new schools achieving the foundation award, 206 renewing their award at foundation stage and 18 receiving the enhanced award.

The awards were presented at a special ceremony by Cllr Ann Naylor, cabinet member for public health, and Cllr Ray Gooding, cabinet member for education, with guest speaker Tim Coulson, director for education and lifelong learning.

Cllr Gooding said: “I am delighted to see so many of our schools picking up awards, demonstrating the excellent work schools are doing to raise the standards of both pupils’ achievement and pupils’ health.”