Learning Media - Te Pou Taki Kõrero

The Health Sponsorship Council’s Smokefree Schools/Ngā Kura Auahi Kore project aims to reduce smoking and encourage quitting. The Health Sponsorship Council (HSC) sought our health and curriculum expertise for its school resources.

The brief

To review existing material developed for the Smokefree Schools/Ngā Kura Auahi Kore project and make recommendations, including proposed costs, for the development of new teaching and learning materials that align to the New Zealand Curriculum and promote the smokefree message in school communities.

Our solution

Prior to proposing recommendations and costings for the HSC’s new teaching and learning materials, we facilitated focus groups with teachers, school leaders, parents, and subject experts. The focus groups reviewed the HSC’s materials, examining how closely they aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum and how the HSC might redevelop them to fit with the current school environment.

We also surveyed teachers from across New Zealand about their use of the existing Smokefree Schools resources, their ideas for new resources, and their experiences of students’ smoking. The information we gathered from teachers, who were able to share their first-hand knowledge of students’ views and attitudes, was invaluable in helping us to provide the HSC with definitive, practical recommendations for a curriculum-aligned solution.

We are currently supporting the HSC to implement our recommendations for its revised or new resources for schools, and working on how these resources can more strongly reinforce the smokefree message.

For more information about Smokefree Schools, visit www.smokefreeschools.org.nz.