An Eco Schools Training day was held at Colston’s School on Friday 24 February. Mr Peter Fraser, the headmaster, invited Carolyn Harrison of Keep Britain Tidy to run a session on helping schools gain Green Flag Status, the highest Award that a school or organisation can achieve.
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Carolyn Harrison and delegates |
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13 delegates came from both primary and secondary schools from Bristol, Bath the Cotswolds, Wells and as far afield as Porchester School, Plymouth and Wiltshire. Delegates swopped details of their progress in achieving the Bronze and Silver award certificates and the trainer offered guidance on how to achieve the next step towards the coveted Green Flag Award. Delegates found the day very useful and enjoyed two slide presentations of what students had carried out to achieve silver status last March one (and shown in assembly to Year 7 – 9 in September 2012) and one of more recent activities (2011-12) including the planting of 30 saplings donated by the Woodlands Trust to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and answered questions regarding what they were doing on their way to achieving green Flag Status. The volunteer work carried out by Mr Yaxley and his team in the local community is included in activities that will help the school gain the top status.
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Carolyn Harrison of Keep Britain Tidy with Mr Clemets and a representation of pupils: Hazel Apperley, Tash Simmons, Tom Hardie, Julian Aquilina and Nathan Hall |
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The photographed students (two lower Sixth form and three Year 8s) are part of the new team that has been brought together to take Colston’s to the next step, the prestigious Green Flag. They showed delegates two Powerpoint presentations, Two schools who are starting out on the Bronze Award (one Primary and one Independent boarding School) have asked if our Eco Team could visit their schools with our presentation to illustrate what can be done and how. The trainer advised the committee to get the governing body involved, maybe with a short presentation. Some primary and state schools had the senior management team overseeing the Eco projects whilst many of the independent schools at an advanced stage had staff running/ guiding the Eco students as their main extra -curricular contribution for 3 terms finding that boarding students contributed significantly.
The key message was that Eco activities need to be bedded into the psyche of a school, that the support of the headteacher and site manager was essential and that it needs to be driven by pupil interest. These ingredients are present at Colston’s.
In order to gain this award we were told that we need to apply by March to ensure that an assessment could take place by June. We will not be ready for that, although the writing up of the Eco plans is underway. This new committee will aim to have completed most of the required Eco initiatives and the paperwork ready by the end of the Summer Term. The written evidence is then sent off to Eco Schools who will then assign an assessor if they feel that the school is ready and then a visit will be arranged. Two critical elements that will be assessed are being a litter free site and having the correct Energy Documentation for scrutiny. We also have to have show documentary evidence of other Eco initiatives that include Healthy Living, Biodiversity, Litter, Energy and our Carbon footprint and Recycling.
TSC
Other prefects who met and greeted and showed delegates and were impressive - Fi Glover, Hannah Hughes and Emma Tamlyn.
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