The range of agencies which schools work with is wide and covers a variety of health-related topics. Institutions or organisations such as the church and the emergency services have a long history of being involved in both primary and secondary schools and are regular visitors to many schools. Health promotion units of local health boards also offer a substantial programme of training for teachers. In addition, there are some individuals offering their services to schools to provide cautionary tales of first hand experiences of drug or alcohol abuse. There are two main ways in which agencies can offer support to schools, and teachers in our study often had strong views on the kind of support they were prepared to accept.
Outside agencies can either work with teachers or they can work directly with pupils.
There was less consensus about their working directly with pupils. Many teachers with special responsibility for health education welcome the fact that certain health issues now have a high profile but find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of materials being prepared by different agencies. They would appreciate objective guidance on the quality and value of available resources. There is also a feeling that some areas are over-done while others are neglected. For example, a primary headteacher referred to the glut of advice, guidance and material for girls reaching puberty but bemoaned the lack of similar information for boys.