Whittington Primary School

'Believe, we can achieve!'

HOME

We are pleased to announce that we have received Bronze Eco-status!!! We will be going for other Eco awards this year and hope to get Green status before the end of this year!!

Whittington Primary School takes the environment very seriously and have decided to apply for Eco-School Status. We the School Council will be the Eco Council for the rest of this term.

The scheme is rooted in a genuine desire to help children become more effective citizens by encouraging them to take responsibility for the future of their own environment. It is not about environmental excellence, it is about our school starting to look at how it impacts upon the environment and how this is decided upon and can be managed.

Some of the reasons for being an Eco School:

One of the benefits of taking part in Eco-Schools is the improvements that are made to the school environment, both inside the school buildings and within the school grounds.

By encouraging pupils to take responsibility for the environmental management of their school, children will develop an increased sense of responsibility for their surroundings.

Eco-Schools enhances and thrives within a caring school community where the views of others are valued and action is taken in response to these views. The school becomes a place to make positive changes and to make a difference.

Many schools following the programme have reported an improvement in the behaviour of pupils as they develop an increased sense of belonging and pride within the school.

Some of the Benefits:

A caretaker’s time spent picking up litter in the school grounds could be better spent on other tasks if your school manages to cut down on littering.

Cutting out draughts, closing doors and windows or switching off lights and electrical appliances when not in use will reduce the energy bills.

Communities in the vicinity of an Eco-School should find that their local area is a better place in which to live due to the caring and responsible attitude promoted by the programme

Evidence suggests that motivation is also significantly improved when pupils are able to see the big picture. By letting pupils know why the work they are completing is important, and showing them where it fits in on a local and global scale, they are able to see its value.

Action Plan:

Our action plan is as follows:

∑ Promoting healthy snack through no unhealthy snacks allowed at break times apart from on “Fun Friday”. It has been estimated that children spend on average 15,000 hours at school. Schools therefore are key settings in which to promote the health and wellbeing of young people and the wider community.

∑ This will also impact on litter; we would like to become “Litter Free”, through “Healthy snacks” and having nominated litter pickers.

∑ Also to open a healthy tuck shop to encourage the healthy option at break times.

∑ Compost bins for the fruit/vegetable waste and then to use the compost in our own school garden.

∑ To grow more vegetables within the school garden, which may encourage children to maybe eat more vegetables.

∑ To use recycling bins to recycle paper and card within school.

∑ To save electricity by turning off lights and other electrical equipment when not in the room. Pupils to design posters to raise awareness.

∑ To rebuild our wildlife area to encourage the more wildlife to come and live their. We will be able to use this area within our science topics of habitats and plants.

∑ We are also making links with the local community through the Whittington and Fisherwick Environmental group – more on this next term.

Please support us by only sending healthy snacks into school for break times this will be a big step towards getting our Eco-School Status.