Windsor Academy Trust, Trinity Point, High St, Halesowen B63 3HY
National Institute of Teaching

Associate College

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Building an Early Years-Focused Community Health Hub at Goldsmith Primary Academy, Walsall

In one of Walsall’s most disadvantaged communities, Goldsmith Primary Academy is pioneering a vital shift, transforming schools into trusted hubs for the health and wellbeing of the entire family, with a particular emphasis on early childhood development.

As part of Windsor Academy Trust’s broader commitment to establishing community hubs on school sites in every learning community, Goldsmith Primary Academy has forged strong partnerships with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and Public Health Walsall. This collaboration brings essential services directly onto school grounds, dismantling barriers to access and delivering crucial support in an environment where families already feel secure and connected.

Located in Blakenall, a community historically challenged by limited access to healthcare and high levels of disadvantage, the school is cultivating a dynamic health and wellbeing offer. This offer is thoughtfully tailored to local needs, with significant attention paid to supporting the foundational years of a child’s life. Key initiatives include:

•Tailored Parenting Support Programmes: These programmes are designed to empower parents and caregivers of young children with practical strategies. They focus on crucial aspects of early years development, such as managing challenging behaviours, establishing healthy routines, and strengthening family bonds during these formative years.

  • •Community Health Workshops with an Early Years Lens: Delivered in partnership with the NHS and Public Health, these workshops cover topics directly relevant to the health and development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

 Examples include:

  • Toilet training: Expert guidance and practical tips for parents navigating this important developmental milestone.
  • Managing minor illnesses in young children: Equipping parents with the knowledge to care for common childhood ailments at home and when to seek professional help.
  • Understanding behaviour and promoting mental wellbeing in early childhood: Insights into typical early years behaviours and strategies for fostering positive mental health from a young age. Social and Friendship Support for Young
  • Students: Creating a nurturing environment for children to build early emotional resilience and develop crucial peer connections, laying the groundwork for healthy social development.
  • The Food for Life Initiative: Promoting healthy eating habits from an early age through engaging, hands-on activities and accessible advice, ensuring young children and their families have the knowledge to make nutritious choices.

This innovative school-based hub model allows families, particularly those with young children, to access vital support in a familiar, stigma-free environment. It also significantly strengthens the relationships between the school, health professionals, and the wider community, creating a holistic support network for early years development. 

By embedding accessible health services into the daily life of the school, Goldsmith Primary Academy is making prevention visible, inclusive, and readily available. This proactive approach is demonstrably improving outcomes for children in their earliest years and their families, right in the heart of their own neighbourhood.