Why do we teach what we teach? (Our intent)

At St. Mary’s, we aim to help children develop into responsible global citizens who are aware of the environmental challenges facing our planet. We seek to broaden their understanding and awareness of effects on human, plant and animal life, so that they can actively seek solutions for sustainable living.

How do we teach it? (Our implementation)

Children are given the opportunity to be active members of the St Mary’s Eco Council, which together with other pupil voice ambassadors, are democratically elected by their class peers. The Eco Council meets once a month to plan for ways in which to make the school environment more eco-friendly. Together with members of other pupil voice teams (i.e. Active Movement, Rights Respecting, Collective Worship, etc.), the Eco council members work together to develop well-rounded citizens. For instance, this academic year, the Eco Council members teamed up with the Rights Respecting Ambassadors to bring awareness to and work towards educating the school body on the UNICEF initiative for the right to clean air.

As part of a broad curriculum, Eco related learning is embedded in various forms across the school. This is both within the classroom as part of core learning (i.e. persuasive letters to ban single use plastics in English) and non-core learning (i.e. thematic art work competition related to diverse wildlife species). In addition to this, extra-curricular activities such as: external trips (i.e. recycling plant/sewage works); workshops; after-school clubs (i.e. gardening club); lunchtime clubs (i.e. litter picking); and access to external and in-school competitions, are provided to the children with the aim of developing responsibility for the local environment, children are given first-hand experiences.

St. Mary’s is proud to be an Eco school as we work towards achieving the Green Flag Renewal recognition every two years. For further information on Eco schools initiatives, visit: https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/

What is the difference that this makes? (Our impact)

By providing children with a range of first hand experiences, our school community enables children to develop a greater sense of responsibility and appreciation towards the environment in line with the school’s core values and Christian ethos.