We are an Eco School and have achieved our Green Flag award several times. We proudly fly our flag on a daily basis. Look out for the flagpole when you walk past our school. Click here to find out more about the Eco Schools award. 

To achieve the Eco School Green Flag award we have to complete work around the following themes:

• Energy
• Litter
• Waste/Recycling
• Water
• Transport
• Healthy Living
• Biodiversity
• School Grounds
• Global perspective

These themes are embedded in the curriculum planning so children have many opportunities to learn about these and how they link to a sustainable future.

All children take part in driving the Eco Action plan we have Eco warriors who champion recycling or monitor energy usage. We have an Eco Squad who meet each term to discuss actions which are linked to the School Improvement Plan. Children are part of the decision making e.g. when litter was blowing out of the bins on the playground children were involved in choosing a better design.

The annual cycle for meetings is as follows:

Autumn term

Explore the Eco themes and set the agenda for the year. Update Eco Board for new academic year

Spring term 

Review the previous actions and plan any future events e.g. Litter audit, implement planting diary

Summer Term

Review initiatives e.g. Mode Shift and Gardening initiative Environmental review

Energy

Here are some examples of the work we promote in school.

Energy and water usage are monitored closely in each classroom by the children. The children record their findings and the results are shared once a week during Golden Assembly.

Each classroom has Eco Monitors who have the responsibility of ensuring lights, whiteboard screen and taps are turned off when not in use.

Energy saving light bulbs are fitted to all light fittings and the governing board have already replaced many of the windows with double glazed units. The Eco governor is Mrs Stubbs

By giving the children the responsibility of ensuring electricity and water supplies are switched off, we hope to spread energy saving strategies into the wider community.

The school is due for a new boiler and we hope this will impact on our energy assessment in March 2018.

Litter

Weekly Litter Picks are carried out in and around the school grounds. Litter has been weighed to measure the impact of the litter picks.

The children are taught to distinguish whether their litter should be put in the bins provided or recycled.

We have also worked with the local community on the ‘Clean for the Queen’.

During ECO Club we completed a litter pick, the children were shocked at how much litter was around our school grounds.   They made posters to make children and adults aware that they need to put their litter in the bin. On one litter pick the children found lots of bus tickets on the floor. One child wrote to Arriva the local bus service asking them to remind travellers to put their tickets in the bin.

Waste/Recycling

Recycling is part of everyday life at school the children are taught about the different materials that are recyclable. Children are able to talk about why we need to recycle to reduce waste.

Every other week the children work with Mr Hodson, the school caretaker, to empty the classroom recycling boxes.

Water

In school we measure our water usage with a water meter. All the taps in our children’s toilets are self-stopping and toilets are fitted with a low-volume flush. These are all measures to reduce water wastage. In the wild life area we have a water butt to collect rain water so it to be reused to water plants etc. The children can talk about different ways to save water e.g. don’t leave the tap running when you clean your teeth.

Transport & Healthy Living

Mode shift STARS is a national schools awards scheme which recognises schools that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel. The school has achieved the Bronze award and we are now working towards the Silver award. Click here to find out more about the Modeshift award.

To encourage a healthy start to the day we have lots of initiatives that promote travelling to school by means other than using a car.

These include:

• Taking part in the ‘Walk to School’ programme every year.
• Operating a walking bus between our school breakfast club and the Junior School.
• We work closely with ‘Travel Telford’ by participating in their promotions, including ‘Cycle’ or ‘Scoot to School’ initiatives
• During the summer term our children have the opportunity to take part in a cycle awareness course.
• We provide safe places to store cycles and scooters during the school day.
• For children who do travel to school by car, we encourage parents to park at Oakengates Leisure Centre and take a short walk to school

All children in school have access to the government’s free fruit initiative. The government also provide every child with the opportunity to have a healthy balanced school meal at lunchtime.

We encourage the children to drink water regularly and provide two water coolers. Milk is provided for all school aged children twice a week.

Children are taught about a healthy lifestyle as part of the curriculum. This provides them with the knowledge about making healthy choices for their future. They enjoy learning about growing and harvesting fruit and vegetables within the school grounds. Children work in the school allotment and each class has a growing area.

The children also learn about how being active can help them keep fit and healthy. The school use the school Sports Premium grant to provide a variety of sporting activities for the children.

It is vital that children learn how to manage their emotional health and wellbeing in an ever changing world. Our children take part in weekly PSHEE lessons. Our Personal, Social and Health Education programme which provides a whole school approach to mindfulness. 

Biodiversity

We are lucky to have extensive school grounds and these are used to support the curriculum. Children learn about Science through first-hand experiences exploring the grounds and environment.

In the Spring and Summer terms we are lucky enough to work closely with the, ‘The Bee Lady’ who teaches the children why looking after our environment is so important for the future of the world.  

The School Grounds

Our school grounds provide the children with opportunities to study birds, animals and insects and learn about their different habitats and how we can sustain them.

The school has trained Forest School leaders so children can learn about trees, plants and insects as well as learn how to toast marshmallows around a camp fire. All children take part in these activities so they learn about their natural environment and how to care for it.

We believe that our outdoor ‘classrooms’ encourage the children to have an holistic approach to their learning. All classes from Nursery to Year 2 have access to outdoor learning. These areas are well established and used by the children on a daily basis.

 Gardening

All classes have their own growing bed where fruit and vegetables are cared for by the children and harvested to be eaten. The school kitchen uses this produce when it is available.

The school also has a large allotment where even our youngest children in EYFS learn about planting and caring for a range of fruits and vegetables.

The school also has a small orchard where a variety of apples grow. These are usually used to make apple crumble.

We Care

The ‘caring’ ethos of our school encourages the children to take an empathetic approach towards children and adults all over the world.

During fund raising events such as ‘Children in Need’ and ‘Comic Relief’ the children learn about why raising funds to help other children and adults who might live in another country is so important.

Children learn about other countries and religions in the curriculum areas of RE, Geography and Jigsaw. We encourage the children to think openly about how it might feel to live in a different place, home or even a different country. Looking at similarities and differences help children to learn about our multicultural world and the tolerance of others. Our International primary Curriculum also enables age appropriate discussions about environmental issues such as Global Warming, destruction of the Rain Forests and Pollution.

People who help us in the community are important visitors into our school. We promote close links with the police, the local vicar and the school nurse to enable the children to recognise how their roles can impact on the lives of others.

Educational visits are an important part of our curriculum and provide first hand experiences for our children such as bug hunting on our residential visit to Edgmond Hall or the classification of wildlife at Chester Zoo.

The school shares the site with the Parish Council where a number of community events take place such as the Christmas and Summer Fayre.