STAFF and pupils at Oldbury Park Primary School, part of Central Region Schools Trust, are celebrating after being awarded the Eco-School Green Flag with ‘Distinction’.
The Eco-Schools team praised the school for working incredibly hard to make learning about ecological issues and the environment a top priority and for going above and beyond to protect the environment for future generations.
As part of this work, the school has set up their own ‘Eco Committee’. The committee is made up of representatives from every class, who are voted on by their peers. The committee works together to make sure learning about the environment is maintained and environmentally-friendly practices are adopted.
In addition to creating extra-curricular opportunities for pupils, the school has also embedded sustainability into its curriculum. This includes using the wider school grounds to teach the pupils about different elements of the natural world.
The pupils have also been working on a project to re-design the pond area in the garden to attract more wildlife – including frequently visiting ducks – and planting wildflower seeds, new plants and removing weeds.
The Eco-Schools team were also incredibly impressed to see how engaged the pupils at the school are in driving sustainability. In particular, they were delighted to hear about a group of pupils who had asked their teachers to carve out time in the day to learn about sustainability in the oceans and how to support ocean life.
As part of the award process, the school has also dedicated part of the time to encouraging the pupils to support a global citizenship topic. Following the wide-spread interest in marine life, the pupils chose to support ‘The Ocean Conservation Trust’ which helps to protect sea life from environmental damage.
The pupils and staff at Oldbury Park Primary School are very proud of this fantastic achievement and look forward to continuing this important work.
Lee Card, headteacher at Oldbury Park Primary School, said: “I am so pleased our school has achieved a distinction in the Eco-School Green Flag programme. It is a real testament to the dedication of our pupils and all our teaching and support staff that awareness of environmental issues is embedded into everything we do.
“We teach sustainability as part of our curriculum and use our extensive playground to help nurture an understanding of the importance of wildlife and nature. We hope to continue to encourage as many pupils as possible to engage with the topic.
“Our Eco Committee have worked very hard over the last year and deserve particular praise for all they have done to help Oldbury Park achieve the Eco-School Green Flag distinction.”
