Healthy High 5:

Healthy High 5 Gold Award Celebration at the Lord Mayor's Reception

This week, we had the fantastic opportunity to attend the Lord Mayor's Reception at Southampton Civic Centre to celebrate achieving the Healthy High 5 Gold Award. Representing our school were Amara (Year 6) and Corbyn (Year 5), who did an absolutely brilliant job throughout the morning.

When we arrived at the Civic Centre, we were greeted by the Healthy High 5 team and welcomed with fresh fruit and sparkling flavoured water. The building was incredibly impressive, with its grand marble staircase and beautiful architecture – it almost felt like we were walking into a castle! Before the reception began, we had time to explore the magnificent building and look around the Lord Mayor's offices, where the children enjoyed spotting lots of interesting features and learning more about the historic surroundings.

We began by listening to the Healthy High 5 team, who shared the history of the award and explained why promoting healthy lifestyles in schools is so important. We then watched two other schools confidently present how Healthy High 5 has been embedded into their schools and the positive impact it has had on their pupils.

It was then our turn to present our school's Healthy High 5 journey. Amara and Corbyn spoke with confidence, enthusiasm and pride as they shared everything we have been doing to achieve our Gold Award. They represented our school brilliantly, and we were incredibly proud of them. Afterwards, several members of staff and councillors came over to compliment them on their excellent public speaking skills and how confidently they had presented in front of such a large audience.

Following the school presentations, we listened to a representative from Zactiv, who spoke about the importance of looking after both our minds and bodies through healthy choices and regular exercise. We were also treated to a special video message from Gladiator Steel  who had recorded an inspiring message especially for everyone attending the event.

The Lord Mayor then spoke about the importance of growing vegetables and helping children develop healthy habits from a young age. It was inspiring to hear how the work schools are doing now will help shape healthier futures for generations to come.

As a special reward for achieving the Gold Award, we were presented with a mini bug hotel and a packet of sunflower seeds to take back to school. These will help us continue encouraging biodiversity and healthy outdoor learning.

Before heading home, we had the opportunity to chat with some of the guests, take photographs with the Lord Mayor and enjoy one final look around the beautiful Civic Centre. It was a brilliant morning and a wonderful way to celebrate all of the hard work that has gone into achieving our Healthy High 5 Gold Award.

We are incredibly proud of Amara and Corbyn for representing our school so brilliantly. They were excellent ambassadors, speaking with confidence and maturity throughout the event, and they should both be extremely proud of themselves. Congratulations to everyone who has contributed towards achieving our Healthy High 5 Gold Award!