Windsor Academy Trust Launches a New Framework to Boost School-NHS Health Collaboration

20th November 2025

Today marks a significant step forward for our Windsor Academy Trust family and for schools and health across the country.

At the Palace of Westminster, we launched 'Co-creating Healthy Futures: Schools and Health - A Framework' - a new framework designed to change how schools and health partners work together. 

The framework considers four fundamental areas for partnership working and offers advice and guidance on:

• Opening gateways to collaboration
• Prevention of health issues in children and young people
• Bringing neighbourhood health services onto school sites
• Building the future NHS workforce

Hosted by Gurinder Singh Josan CBE, MP, the launch brought together leaders from schools and health to commit to a shared mission.

While the location for the framework launch was significant, the purpose was simple: to reduce education and health inequalities in children and young people and ensure every child gets the support they need to thrive.

It is a moment of pride for us. It shows that the work happening in our schools is being recognised as a blueprint to inspire action.

Why This Matters

We know that you cannot separate a child’s health from their education. Health and education equalities co-exist. 

For too long, schools and health services have worked separately. This new framework changes that. It is a practical guide that helps schools become the heart of their community, where families can access health support easily, without barriers.

Real Impact in Our Schools

This framework isn't just a document; it is based on real work happening in our schools (and others) right now. Here are just a few examples of what this looks like in practice across our family:

• Goldsmith Primary Academy (Walsall): We created a community health hub right on the school site. By working with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, parents can access health professionals and parenting workshops in a place they trust, without long travel times.

• Windsor Olympus Academy (Sandwell): Students are taking the lead on health. Through a partnership with the NHS, students have been trained as 'Asthma Ambassadors', helping peers manage their condition. They are also getting hands-on experience of NHS careers to inspire the workforce of tomorrow .

• Our Newcastle-under-Lyme Schools: At schools like Clayton Hall Academy, Newcastle Academy and Sir Thomas Boughey Academy, we have NHS mental health practitioners working directly within the school team. This means students get faster, preventative support for their wellbeing before issues escalate .

This framework was developed in partnership with the NHS Confederation, the Confederation of School Trusts, and many other brilliant partners across schools and health.

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.” 

Just the First Step

Today is a celebration, but it is also just the beginning.

This framework invites schools and health partners across England to follow our lead. We want to see every child, no matter where they live, getting the joined-up support they deserve.

By unlocking the power of partnership, we can unlock the academic and personal potential of every student.

Learn more about the framework here