The third winner of this year’s Ashden Sustainable Schools Award was Thornhill primary school in Cardiff. What follows is taken from the Ashden case study which details the school’s success. The Ashden judging panel said: “We found Thornhill Primary School to be a real innovator. What’s more, Thornhill is willing to share ideas with other schools and help others to make the same…
Another winner of this year’s Ashden Sustainable Schools Award was Marton primary school in Lincolnshire. What follows is taken from the Ashden case study which details the school’s success. The Ashden judging panel said: “Marton Primary School is an excellent role model for other small schools. The staff and pupils have adopted a very simple approach focusing on low cost or no cost…
One of the winners of this year’s Ashden Sustainable Schools Award was Home Farm primary school in Colchester. What follows is taken from the Ashden case study which details the school’s success. The Ashden judging panel said: “The senior management at Home Farm make a formidable team. Their attitude to energy savings and renewables should…
What follows is an extract from a recent Ofsted good practice case study that shows how Netherfield primary school makes highly effective use of resources and space to provide children with outstanding learning experiences. Ofsted says that a range of teaching approaches, both formal and informal, sit side by side in a highly planned curriculum where both…
Take the Green Challenge is one of the two articles published by Green Teacher in its September 2015 edition that is freely available to read. We are highlighting it here to draw your attention both to the article, and to Green Teacher itself, as this is a journal that NAEE finds to be consistently informative and interesting.…
Lorna Hall, education and outreach officer at Whale & Dolphin Conservation [WDC], writes about its Scottish education programme based at Spey Bay on the beautiful Moray coastline. WDC is a leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. Its Scottish education programme facilitates experiential education through a variety of methods, encouraging learning and active conservation. Located at the mouth…
Rupert Brakspear writes about Bretforton First School’s work to involving everyone through the Eco-Schools Challenge. Bretforton is a small, vibrant school for 73 Foundation to Year 5 pupils. The school catchment serves families from the village and neighbouring communities lying to the east of Evesham. The school’s motto is ‘Small enough to care, Strong enough to grow’ and the Head Teacher…
Steve Savage, Biologist, Environmental Educator and Author, writes about the One World One Ocean project and the key role of Ed the Bear. One World One Ocean links UK schools with ocean scientists around the world and creates real time events that are shared with schools. The project also provides opportunities for scientists, climatologists, marine archaeologists and conservationists to share their knowledge and experiences with…
Matova Paul, central regional co-ordinator of the I.D.E.A.S for Uganda initiative, discusses its work at Makerere University in Kampala. Background Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (I.D.E.A.S) for Uganda is among the fastest growing youth-led voluntary environmental organizations in East Africa. With chapters in primary, secondary schools and universities, the movement is progressively creating environmental awareness among…
Lesley Sleight, Head of Life Skills, Queen Elizabeth II High School, Isle of Man, writes about how her students have been growing their own clothes. A group of year 13 pupils from Queen Elizabeth II High School, Isle of Man have spent the last year growing clothes from green tea, sugar and bacteria. The tragic deaths in the…
Jennifer Allen, writes about the work of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum (PCF). The Forum is part of the Sustainable Pembrokeshire Environmental Education Link group (SPEEL) that was established in 2002 as a platform for ideas and practical discussion on how to positively promote and combine environmental education and sustainable development in Pembrokeshire. By taking a holistic and bespoke approach to sustainable management of the coast,…
Zion Lights, Home educator and writer, discusses her experience of Exeter Forest School, a not-for-profit social enterprise that focuses on outdoor learning. The school was founded in 2012 by Chris White, Tom Lowday and Shevek Pring. Their aim was simple – to bring the outdoors to young children, but they rapidly expanded into catering for all ages…