Eco School Green Flag award
Pupils at Ringshall Primary School have been awarded a coveted Eco-Schools Green Flag. (Renewed 2023)
Pupils at Ringshall Primary School have earned an international accreditation this academic year, recognising their amazing work in making their school more environmentally friendly and raising eco-awareness in fellow pupils.
The headteacher, Mr Gough, stated ‘I am so proud that our school has been awarded Green Flag status. This is not an easy award to achieve and our Eco Council, led by Mrs Forrest, has worked incredibly hard to achieve this honour. From micro forests to the glitter ban, Ringshall School has made a strong commitment to tackling climate change. But this is just the start. We have an army of Eco Warriors at Ringshall school, for which nothing will stop them until they have literally saved the planet. Our next goal - rewilding 20% of our land. Watch this green space.’
Eco-Schools is an international education programme that prompts young people to explore sustainability and climate change and take action.
Pupils at Ringshall School collaborated with Mrs Forrest to conduct an environmental review, assessing how eco-friendly their school is. They reviewed everything from the school’s recycling practices, to energy usage, to how environmental themes are covered in classrooms. Building on their findings, the pupils and Mrs Forrest planned a year of activities that would up their green-credentials.
The group connected their work to 3 Eco-Schools topics: waste reduction, protecting marine life and improving the school’s biodiversity.
One of the Eco Council’s biggest achievements this year was organising the creation of a microforest in the school grounds. With the support of The Sicon Foundation, each child in the school had the opportunity to plant a tree, helping to improve biodiversity in the school grounds.
Another initiative the Eco Council implemented this year was a food waste collection and monitoring system in the school hall. The children added the waste to the composting bins in the school garden. The year 6 eco councillors will continue to run this initiative through the current year.
An activity which the Eco Council took part in was the Big Battery Hunt! Last year the Eco Council encouraged the children at Ringshall to collect old batteries and bring them into school to be recycled. As a school, we collected over 350 batteries! The Eco Council hopes to repeat this activity this year and aim to reach an even greater total.
Mrs Forrest, the school’s Eco-Coordinator, stated, ‘Supporting the children in their aim to achieve the Green Flag status has been an absolute honour. Each of our Eco Councillors demonstrated a passion for helping the environment, each utilising their individual skills and knowledge to make our activities a success! Through the planning and delivery of our green initiatives, the children gained confidence and a sense of pride at the knowledge of what they could achieve. I am incredibly proud of the positive impact they have had on the school, the environment and on each other. This year, the next chapter of our green mission has already begun with higher aims and all the enthusiasm of the last.’
A member of the Eco Council said, ‘I’ve learnt a lot on the Eco Council. It has given me the opportunity to come up with ideas and put them into action. My confidence in speaking in front of groups of children has grown and I have enjoyed leading other children in the school.’
Eco-Schools England Manager, Adam Flint, said: “Earning an Eco-Schools Green Flag Award takes passion, commitment and a desire to make a difference. Pupils should be proud of their great work. They’re an inspiration and it makes us feel heartened and positive about the future of our planet.”
To learn more about Eco-Schools head to www.eco-schools.org.uk